Feet scuffled in the dirt around them as people gave them a wide berth.
“What’s going on here?”
Neither Tell nor Deck took his eyes off his opponent to acknowledge Georgia.
About damn time she showed up. When Tell saw her move into his line of vision, he said, “Georgia. Why don’t you head on out to the rodeo grounds. This doesn’t concern you.”
“Or so McKay wants you to think. But it’s always been about you,” Deck said with a sneer.
Tell’s head said don’t take the bait, but his mouth had already engaged. “Is your dick attitude because I have her now?”
“Do you have her? For how long?”
Saying forever seemed cheesy, but he wanted Deck to know what’d grown between him and Georgia this summer was the real deal. So he said, “For keeps.”
Deck broke eye contact and looked at Georgia. “He doesn’t know, does he?”
“Hey, talk to me, ass**le, not her. Know what?”
Deck released a sharp bark of laughter. “The joke is on you, McKay. Georgia is leaving at the end of the summer, as soon as rodeo season slows down. She never intended to stay in Wyoming permanently.”
No. That couldn’t be true. She wouldn’t do that—flat-out lie to him. Tell spun around and faced her, his eyes searching hers as he bridged the short distance between them. So when Tell saw that look on Georgia’s face he hadn’t been able to place before, he finally recognized it: guilt. He wished the hot dirt would just swallow him up right now.
You’ve been played for the fool again. When will you ever learn?
Automatically he started backing up, away from her, tempted to turn tail and run.
But she kept up with him, step for step. “Wait.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was scared to.”
“But you could tell your ex-husband?”
“I didn’t tell him. My dad must have. No one was supposed to know.”
“Well, that makes it so much better.” He lowered his voice so only she heard him. “Do you remember when you asked me if I was playin’ a game? Is that what you’ve been doin’ this whole time? Stringing me along so you could watch me unravel when you cut ties here for good?”
“No. God no.”
“Do you feel anything for me, Georgia?”
“Yes.”
He could work with that. “Then can you really turn your back on this? On us? Return to Dallas and pretend this never happened?”
Her gaze shifted to the side, to Deck, and she sighed. “I only came to Sundance because I didn’t have a choice.”
A swift kick in the balls couldn’t have hurt worse.
If he stood there another second, he’d probably break down. Beg her not to go.
In front of Deck Veldekamp.
That would only be slightly less humiliating than the fact he’d fallen in love, for real, with a woman he still couldn’t have. His heartbeat slowed, becoming a dull thud in his ears as he turned from her and started to walk away.
No surprise Deck wouldn’t let it go.
“She’s just like the song, ain’t she?” Deck called out. “Georgie Porgie kissed the boys and made them cry. Wasn’t there a line in there about bein’ a coward and running away? That fits you, McKay, don’t it?”
Against his better judgment, Tell wheeled back around. “You are a f**king moron. But if you really want me to beat your face in, keep it up. I’ve been waiting for this for years. We’ll see if you’re tough when your buddies aren’t holding me down so you can beat on me.”
“You ain’t man enough to take it. Never have been. Never will be.” Deck took a blatant step forward. “Are you?”
Deck didn’t expect the first punch so fast. The second punch knocked him off-balance. The third punch sent him sprawling in the dirt.
Tell pounced on him, his fists connecting with flesh and bone. He let fly with years’ worth of pent-up rage.
Deck didn’t defend himself at all.
Unfortunately, Tell didn’t get many licks in before he was rudely ripped away from pummeling Deck’s face.
“What in the world is goin’ on here?” the man demanded.
Tell fought the adrenaline rush and jerked out of the man’s hold. All he cared about was Georgia. Who was crouched in the dirt next to Deck. Her hand on his arm. Her angry glare aimed right at him. At him. Not at Deck.
All the breath whooshed out of Tell’s body, along with that tiniest bit of hope.
“What has gotten into you?” she hissed. “Why did you attack him?”
Just out of Georgia’s line of sight, Deck’s lips lifted into a greasy grin that showed blood on his teeth.
The f**ker had won. Georgia had chosen Deck again.
Tell stepped back.
When Deck opened his big, fat mouth, Tell turned and walked away.
Georgia had an overpowering sense of loss as Tell disappeared into the crowd.
She shook her head to try and clear the confusion. She’d been right there and she had no idea what’d just happened. Tell and Deck had been arguing about some past slight and then they were on the ground, Tell throwing punches that Deck hadn’t attempted to defend.
Something was wrong with that picture.
“You gonna go running after McKay now? Dry his tears? ’Cause guaranteed the loser is crying. He always does.”
She looked at him “Why would he cry? You didn’t even land a punch.”
“Not this time.” He wiped blood from his smirking mouth.
“What do you mean, not this time?”
“You think that’s the first occasion me’n him have locked horns? Nope. But I always beat his ass down.”
“Always? When was the last time?”
“End of senior year.”
All the blood drained from her face. She remembered Tell had come to school a complete wreck. He’d claimed the damage was from getting thrown off a bucking horse. “Those bruises on his face were your doing? You went after him? Why?”
“Because he gave you a ride home and he knew better than to touch what didn’t belong to him.”
“You stranded me at school. He drove me home. That was it.”
Deck shrugged. “Not according to him. He tracked me down, said you were miserable and cryin’ because of me and that you deserved someone better, so I oughta leave you alone.”
She backed away. “I had no idea.”
“Of course you didn’t. Even McKay ain’t stupid enough to brag about getting the shit kicked outta him.”