Etta put her hand on his leg and he realized he’d probably have to set things straight with her and get himself wished back to hell again. Right now he was not up for more female entanglements. Maybe in a week or two, when he got his head on straight again.
The only problem was, it didn’t seem to be straightening out as fast as usual. Even Trena, who’d brought a lot of trauma into his life, hadn’t screwed up his head in this particular way.
He’d wanted something that he couldn’t have. He’d deluded himself into thinking that given some time Liv could give it. But she couldn’t. Or wouldn’t. Didn’t matter which.
Two beers in—diet sodas for Wes and Corrie—and Jed announced that they had to get the sitter home. Etta, Pete and Matt had one more beer, then Pete called it quits and Matt walked Etta out to her car.
He took her keys, opened the door, then turned around to find himself wearing her.
And he’d be a liar if he said it didn’t feel good.
But it also didn’t feel right.
He finally untangled himself, took her hands firmly in his so that they didn’t go back on their seek-and-destroy mission.
“Matt?” she asked, her eyes wide and yet somehow seductive as hell.
“Can’t.”
She squeezed his fingers. “Why?”
“Not a good time for doing this.”
She pulled her hands out of his, frowning. “Someone else?”
“Just me.”
She snorted. “I don’t think I believe you.”
“Why?” he asked, putting a hand on the open door frame.
“Don’t play stupid, Matt.” She brushed past him to get into the car. “You know why.”
She didn’t smile as she closed the door and when she started the car, Matt stepped back so as not to get his foot run over. Maybe he did know why, but that didn’t mean he wanted to discuss it with Etta. And he didn’t want to complicate his life any more by sleeping with her.
But he could have been a bit more honest with himself. Thoughts of Liv were still messing with his head and he didn’t like what it was doing to him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LIV RECEIVED ANOTHER lesson in giving and taking—or the lack thereof—prior to leaving for the second rodeo of the Big Three. Her mother had called to say that she’d actually broached the money matter with David. Liv could only imagine the amount of stress her mother must have felt to have taken such a huge step.
David had not been all that receptive, and Vivian had apparently instantly backed down, which made Liv want to tear her hair out. Partly because she worried about her mother, but mainly because she recalled doing the exact same thing herself. Over and over and over. Taking a stab at making a stand and then backing down. Maybe if Vivian stood her ground, then David would at the very least compromise. But no.
“You’re quiet,” Tim said as they passed through Deer Lodge.
“Just thinking about giving and taking,” Liv said darkly.
“Another call from your mother?”
“Mmm.” Liv didn’t want to discuss it. The nice thing about her father was that he was comfortable with silence.
Liv and Tim were the first to arrive at the rodeo grounds on a gloriously sunny day—the antithesis of the weather at the last rodeo. Tim parked at the far west side of the lot, and a few minutes later Susie’s trailer pulled up close to them, and Susie and Pete got out. “I told you we left too early,” Pete said as he headed to the back of the trailer.
“It won’t kill you to get here an hour early,” Susie said before raising a hand to Liv and calling, “Hi, Tim. Hi, Liv.”
“Hey,” Liv called back.
“Hi, guys,” Pete said absently before turning back to his wife. “I had some stuff I wanted to get done.”
“You can do it when we get back.” Susie disappeared into the tack room, so her voice was muffled as she called, “I just wanted to get here early enough to get the damned horse ready so I can watch some of the rodeo before the team meets.”
“Fine,” Pete muttered in a resigned voice.
Tim unloaded Queso while Liv got out the tack, trying not to listen to the continued bickering at the trailer next door, but finding it impossible not to.
While she’d been growing up, her mother and David had never bickered. What David wanted, happened. The same had been true of her relationship with Greg, although she hadn’t realized it until she’d finally stood up for