Bare Naked: Naked Cowboys, Book 4 (2 page)

At least I hope I can. Otherwise I’m out on my ass in the cold
.

Georgie took another sip of her beer, cautioning herself not to just slug it down. The last thing she needed after meeting new people was to get falling-down drunk. Especially in a town where she expected to run a business. If luck was on her side, that is.

How lucky was it that she’d decided to stop in here on her way home for a quick drink? She never hung out in bars, but today had been particularly stressful, talking to the bank, ordering more supplies, dipping again into her carefully guarded stash. For dinner, she grabbed a hamburger that she’d eaten while making more notes in her ever-present work notebook. She’d just felt the need for a little something to take the edge off, and she didn’t even have a small bottle of wine at home. She knew too many women who fell into the trap of solitary drinking.

Excitement threaded through her as she sat here with these women. She knew who they were, of course, even before they’d told her. They were very visible in the small town of Saddle Wells, and she envied them their close friendship. As she’d scrabbled to build her career there hadn’t been time to make friends. And the women she’d come in contact with had made their disdain very obvious.

Maybe I was meant to end up here after all.

“Is the place even habitable?” Amy wanted to know.

“Enough for now. I have running water and electricity, a kitchen that’s old but sort of works and one usable bathroom. The rest will come in time.”

“Sounds like a money pit.” Reenie took a healthy swallow of her beer. “Do you have a secret sugar daddy?”

“Jesus, Reenie.” Amy frowned at her sister-in-law. “Why don’t you just let it all hang out there?”

“Oh.” Reenie giggled. “Sorry. Beer makes my jaw flap. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s okay,” Georgie assured her. “But no, no sugar daddy. A healthy savings stash, plus when I…left my job I cashed in a fat 401K.”

Jinx studied her, interest flashing in her eyes. “That must have been some job you walked away from.”

You don’t know the half of it.

“A story for another day.”

“So do you have anyone helping you with this?” Reenie asked and then grinned. “You might need an entire construction crew from what the rumors say.”

No kidding.

“Not yet I haven’t. I made a long list of things that need to be done. I can work on most of the inside stuff myself, but I’m almost afraid to get an estimate on the tougher work.”

“We can put you in touch with people,” Reenie told her. “Matt, my husband, knows everyone in the county. He’ll make sure to send you honest people.”

People? Not like she could afford a crew.

“I appreciate that. Thank you. But at the moment I think if I could find one reliable handyman who could do a bunch of stuff I’d be in good shape.”

“You should let me write about this,” Jinx said. “And we can take before and after pictures.”

“You can certainly get plenty of
before
pictures now,” Georgie grinned. “But having a small article so people can look forward to it would really be great.”

And keep me from changing my mind. Especially since I have no other options.

But she’d keep all that to herself. These women seemed very nice, but she’d only just gotten to know them. She wasn’t about to spill her messy story and lose their friendship before she really had it.

“An article it is and
before
shots.” Jinx took her phone out of her purse. “How about giving me your cell number. I’ll call you next week. Maybe we can have lunch together.”

“That would be great.” Georgie tapped in her numbers.

“Maybe we can all have lunch together,” Amy suggested. “I can use a break from computers any time.”

Georgie cocked her head. “Computers?”

“She’s a ranch business manager,” Reenie put in. “The best there is. She keeps all the books and records for Stark Ranch plus for the one she and her husband, Buck, own. Amy, I swear, I don’t know how you do it.”

“The same way you handle all your graphics clients. Hey, maybe you could do a web site and some stuff for Georgie.” Amy turned in her chair. “Reenie runs her own graphic design business from Stark Ranch. She could do an incredible job for you.”

Georgie had the feeling a snowball was rolling over her. “Well, um, that’s great. I don’t think I’ve gotten that far yet, though.”

“Let the poor woman catch her breath.” Jinx laughed. “We’re liable to send her screaming into the night.”

“We only want to help,” Reenie protested. She leaned forward. “We tend to get a little overenthusiastic. You let us know whenever you’re ready.”

Georgie shook her head, a bewildered expression on her face. “Are you this friendly with everyone? Don’t you worry about strangers here?”

Amy shrugged. “We like to think we’re good judges of character.” She made a face and slid a glance to the figure huddled in the corner. “Past history aside.”

Reenie reached over and touched Amy’s arm. “Don’t let him spoil the night. You’re the winner now.”

Georgie frowned. “Did I miss something?”

“Only the local drunk. Nobody to worry about.”

But Jinx leaned forward in a conspiratorial move. “That man in the corner? He and his family used to own most of the county. They treated people like shit. One day, Amy can tell you her story if she wants.”

Georgie looked over at the man Jinx mentioned. “So why is he in here drinking in a corner and looking like he’s on his last dime?”

“Because he is. His father gambled everything away and now he’s barely got two cents in his pocket. And Ed’s the only one in town who’ll put up with him.”

“Why do I think there’s a lot more to the story than that?” Georgie asked.

“Not one you want to hear,” Amy told her. “I’d rather learn more about you.”

“Also for another day.” Georgie laughed.

“Just let me put a bug in your ear. If Cade Hannigan ever comes anywhere near you, run as fast as you can in the other direction. I mean it.” She refilled her glass from the pitcher. “’Nough said on that topic. For now.”

Georgie enjoyed sitting there chatting with the women. They talked about everything and nothing. She learned more about the county than all her research had unearthed. And unexpectedly, she felt very comfortable with her new friends.

Every so often, her eyes would stray over to the man hunched in the corner, her curiosity piqued. She’d certainly never been as rich as Cade Hannigan, but she’d worked her way up to a solid position of success at Carlton Enterprises before the bottom fell out of her life. She knew what it was to have what you wanted and lose everything, although financially she’d come out of it better off than this man obviously was.

Leave it alone, Georgie. He is what he is. Pay attention to what these women said.

Glancing at her watch, she drained the rest of the beer in her glass. “Well. My day starts very early tomorrow so I better hit the road.” She looked around the table “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you asking me to join you.”

“Everyone needs friends,” Jinx said. “I found that out the hard way. Maybe we just met, but I think we all get really good vibes from you. Let’s make sure you’ve got everyone else’s cell number besides mine. And give them yours.”

“And lunch next week,” Reenie reminded her.

Georgie gave them her cell number and they each punched theirs into her phone. For the first time since she’d run away from the mess in Dallas, she began to feel as if her life was taking an upturn again. She stood up and tugged on her jacket.

“Thanks again,” she told them.

As she turned toward the door, she realized the man huddled in the corner had pushed back his chair and was stumbling toward the entrance. She tried to avoid him but they collided right near the door. She took a step back, overwhelmed by the odor of whiskey.

“Watch where you’re going,” he snarled, knocking her into the nearest table.

She took a step back, holding up her hands. Behind her, she heard the scraping of chairs and glanced over to see that the women she’d just left had all risen from the table. She shook her head.

“I’m good. I’ll just let him get a little distance before I try the exit again.”

As he moved past her, he glanced up from beneath the brim of his hat. For a very brief moment, their eyes locked. She expected to see bitterness and anger in them, but instead she was shocked by the pain and misery there. Then he turned away and shoved through the door.

When he had left, she waved at the women and headed out the door herself. But driving home, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. Not just the odor of the alcohol or his disreputable appearance. The despair she saw there made her want to cry.

What on earth had happened to send a man that far over the edge? Sooner or later, she’d make it her business to find out.

Chapter Two

Bam, bam, bam!

For a moment, Cade thought the pounding was just in his head, so he pulled his pillow over his head.

Bam, bam, bam!

There it went again, but this time he realized it was an external sound. Someone was pounding on his door.

“Holy Jesus,” he groaned. “All right, all right. Put a lid on it. I’m coming.”

Slowly and painfully, he tossed back the threadbare covers and eased himself to a sitting position. The stabbing pain behind his eyes and the sour taste in his mouth didn’t help his mood one bit.

“Open up, Hannigan. Right now or I’m unlocking the door.”

Ed. What the fuck did he want? Had Cade overslept this morning? Missed his shitty cleanup duty?

Thank God, he’d left the shade down on the one window so at least he didn’t have the sunlight to contend with. Shuffling to the door he unlocked it and pulled it open. Ed barreled into the room, nearly knocking him over.

“Hey, what the hell? Am I late?”

“You’re finished. That’s what you are.” Cade tried to get his brain to function, squinting his eyes at Ed who looked as if he was about to pop a blood vessel.

“Wait. What?” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Finished? Why?”

“That’s why.” Ed pointed at the wastebasket full of empty beer bottles.

“Oh.” Cade vaguely remembered finishing off the last six-pack he’d smuggled out of the bar. After having to watch Amy Stark—no, Montgomery—whooping it up with her friends, he’d wanted nothing more than total oblivion. And he’d gotten it. “So I helped myself to a couple of bottles of brew. Jesus, Ed. It’s not like you’re paying me a million bucks to work here.”

“After today I’m not paying you anything. I warned you. Told you one more time and you’d be out on your ass. So this is it. You’re out.”

Cade scrabbled desperately to get his brain working. “Come on, Ed. It won’t happen again. Holy shit. Give me a break, will you.”

The man walked up to him until they were practically nose to nose. “I gave you a break. Over and over. The only person in the county dumb enough to do it. And you repay me by stealing from me. So this is it. You’re done.” He pulled some bills from the pocket of his jeans and thrust them out. “Consider this your severance pay.”

“Wait.” Cade stood, dumbfounded, as Ed headed toward the door. “What will I do? Where will I go?”

“Not my problem anymore. Get your shit together and get the hell out of here. Oh, and leave your keys on the dresser or I’ll have to send Sheriff Cross after you.” He slammed the door behind him.

Cade stood frozen to the spot, unable to process what he’d just heard. He was
fired
? Out on his ass? Where the hell was he supposed to go? What was he supposed to do? Apparently, he should have taken Ed more seriously, but he’d just never thought the man would kick him out.

He dropped onto his bed, the seriousness of his situation slamming him in the face. He really didn’t have anywhere else to go. He’d managed to piss off everyone in the county when he was riding high on the hog. He was sure they all had a good laugh on a daily basis over his situation. And he’d done nothing about mending fences since then, preferring to nurse his resentment at his situation instead.

He looked at the money in his hand. That wouldn’t last him a week even in the cheapest motel. And then what?

He took a minute in the tiny bathroom to relieve himself and then stared at his reflection in the mirror. For the first time since the bottom had fallen out of his life, he realized he had lost all his options. No one was going to tell him it had all been a mistake. Or that a hidden stash had been found. Even his so-called friends walked around him as if he was shit on their shoes. Just as he’d always done to everyone he’d looked down on.

Figure it out, jerkhead. You’re one week away from begging on the streets.

The past few weeks had shown him exactly how far down he was on everyone’s shit list. None of the guys who’d been happy enough to ride his credit card seemed to have the least interest in reaching out to him now. Without a cell phone, he was reduced to making calls from the payphone at the Gas It Up. Where everyone could hear him calling his former
friends
, who too quickly slammed the phone down on him. It seemed even the worst of his so-called friends didn’t want his stink to rub off on them.