was poetry. He allowed himself a moment to sit back, close his eyes, remember. Dangerous stuff—more dangerous than any rodeo bull.
Usually, women weren’t a problem for him. Their expectations of a rodeo cowboy were low on the romance side, and though a few women had tried to snag a piece of the Carrigan fortune, not one had succeeded. He loved ’em and left ’em, and nobody was surprised—least of all the women.
But Sarah was turning things around. She’d left him standing in the alley with his hat in his hand—and he couldn’t blame her. After all his talk about understanding her real self, he’d practically accused her of sleeping with his brother. Deep down, he knew that was something she would never, ever do.
But why had Eric been there? The question was driving him crazy.
He turned back to the screen, telling himself it didn’t matter. By this time tomorrow, he’d be on the back of a bull in Amarillo. He wouldn’t be thinking about Sarah and how he’d blown the one relationship he’d ever hoped would last. He’d be thinking about hanging on. Surviving.
Maybe he and Sarah had more in common than he’d thought.
“She said she’d take survival,” he told Willie, who was curled up at his feet. “Guess that’s about all we’ve got too.”
He tapped the mouse pad, bringing the screen to life. He had mail—including a reminder that draws for Amarillo were up on the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association website. Clicking into the list, he grinned. Rusty Nail. The big brindled animal could spin like a tornado and jump like a jackrabbit—all at the same time. He was a high-score bull, the kind a cowboy wanted to draw. Lane had ridden him to a buckle in Cheyenne last year, and he was willing to bet he could do it again.
His cell phone jumped to life, jitterbugging across the table and falling to the floor. He stared down at the screen. Eric. He clicked the green “go” button and grunted a hello.
“Hey, Lane.”
“Hey.”
“Thought I’d give you a warning. There’s a hurricane headed your way.”
“What?”
Eric chuckled. He sounded smug, like he’d won an argument or proved what a yahoo Lane was somehow. Too many of their verbal battles had ended with that chuckle.
“Hurricane Sarah’s coming to Two Shot. I thought I’d better let you know, since she’ll be staying at the Love Nest.”
The light seemed to fuzz and blur in Lane’s head, and his skin prickled despite the heat. Eric had Sarah at the Love Nest? The cabin had been a nest all right, though the “love” part wasn’t quite accurate. He and his brother had played host to a number of girls there during their adolescent Two Shot vacations. They should have called it the Lust Nest.
“Tell me she’s on company business.”
Eric snorted. “Sarah’s always on business. She’s probably on business when she’s—well, never mind.” The smile came back into his tone. “You probably know all about that.”
Lane wanted to make a smart remark, some kind of rude comment, but he couldn’t speak. Eric must have caught the tension, because his voice sounded wary when he asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I saw your car.”
“Yeah, good.” Eric sounded positively smug. “And you were struck with envy, right? Don’t blame you, driving around in the rattletrap Dodge. You ought to get yourself something better.”
“No, I mean I saw it at Sarah’s.”
“What, last night? Shit, you weren’t with her when she got home, were you?” He laughed uneasily. “Now that was embarrassing. I know Gloria’s hardly the kind of girl I ought to go for, but I couldn’t help myself. Well, actually, I could help myself. And I did.”
“Gloria?”
“Yeah. You know, the blonde. Sarah’s roommate.”
“Sarah’s roommate.” Suddenly, everything was sharp and clear in Lane’s mind. “It’s her apartment too.”
“Yeah, and let me tell you, there’s not a surface in there we didn’t—never mind. I should be ashamed of myself, right?”
Lane felt suddenly giddy with relief. “Why? Gloria’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Well, she’s hardly my type. I don’t know why I always end up with the wrong kind of woman.”
“Maybe because they are your type,” Lane said. He remembered the blonde doing her rodeo rider imitation and smiled. “I think she’s just what you need. Step outside your comfort zone and live a little, why don’t you?”
“I suspect that with Gloria I’d be living a lot.”
“And it would be about time.”
Eric paused. “Oh. I get it.”
“What?”
“You thought I was with Sarah.” Eric sounded more appalled than amused.