Tying You Down (2 page)

Sometimes she wondered if she should try to like women—that would be safer than loving men. But she had to laugh at herself inwardly. Men were her weakness and she didn’t find women the least bit attractive—not in that way.

When the plane began to fly at a lower altitude, she breathed a sigh of relief. Soon she wouldn’t be sitting so close to Tate, feeling the warmth of his body next to hers, smelling his delicious masculine scent, and sensing the tightly controlled power in his presence.

It was dark outside now but lightning still illuminated the sky and rain ran down the window in rivulets.

Jenny started to wake as the plane descended, and Jo found relief in that, too. With the little girl awake, Tate would be less of a distraction.

She could just about feel Tate relax after the plane touched down and coasted a while before parking. She glanced at him and saw the tension in his jaw had lessened. He met her gaze and smiled, and heat flushed through her body.

“Are we there yet?” Jenny asked, still sounding sleepy.

“We’re in Phoenix.” Jo looked at the girl and smoothed her curls. “As soon as we get to Tate’s truck we’ll drive home and you’ll be staying with your Aunt Megan.”

“I miss my mommy.” Jenny’s lower lip trembled. “And I miss Daddy Gage.”

“They won’t be gone too long.” Jo kissed the top of Jenny’s head. “Come on. It’s our turn to get off the plane.”

Tate had taken his western hat out of the overhead bin and had settled it on his head. He brought down their carry-on luggage. Each had one, including Jenny. Tate started to carry Jenny’s little purple rolling suitcase but the girl insisted on taking it herself.

Jo held Jenny’s hand, the girl holding tight to her rolling suitcase with her other hand. Tate had insisted on carrying Jo’s suitcase as well as his own and she didn’t want to make a fuss in front of Jenny.

Jenny chattered about the small wedding and how she’d thrown flower petals and how pretty her mommy had looked. Then her conversation turned to Disneyland, where her mommy and new daddy were taking her when they got back from their honeymoon.

As Jenny went on about meeting Cinderella and Ariel, Jo glanced at Tate who had an amused expression on his face. “It’s no wonder Gage loves her as his own,” Tate said. “She’s pretty danged cute.”

Jo smiled her agreement. “Who’d have thought that Gage would settle down like he has?”

“Gage is a helluva man who found himself a helluva woman,” Tate said and Jo nodded.

With Jenny still talking, they made it through the airport to the courtesy shuttle that took them to the Park and Fly lot. It wasn’t long before they were loaded up into Tate’s king cab truck with Jenny strapped in a bucket seat behind the front seats.

The girl grew quiet as they drove out of Phoenix and headed north through the darkness and the storm that had continued even after they’d landed. Jo glanced over her shoulder to see Jenny’s eyelids growing heavy and her head tilting to the side as she fell asleep.

Jo stretched out her long legs and reclined in the comfortable passenger seat and watched the windshield wipers go back and forth. With the rhythmic motion of the wipers, she was almost lulled to sleep herself, but was too aware of Tate to drift off.

During the ninety-minute drive they spent the time talking about his brothers and his relatively new sisters-in-law. She talked a little about Charlee, too. She was proud of her little sister who managed a downtown beauty salon.

They were almost to Prescott when Tate glanced at Jo. “I want to see you again,” he said before returning his gaze to the road.

Jo blinked and warmth crept through her. She knew what he meant but she pretended not to as she said, “I’m sure we’ll run into each other plenty. Especially if you come to Jo-Jo’s.”

He gave her an amused look. “Don’t play dumb, hon. You know what I want.”

“What all men want?” she said lightly, then realized she’d made a mistake when his expression darkened.

“I don’t know what happened to you in the past, Jo,” he said, his voice hard. “But I’m not all men.”

She cleared her throat. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

He glanced at her again. “Why not?”

Any number of responses came to her, like “I don’t date cowboys,” to “I don’t trust men,” to “I’m afraid,” but she didn’t voice any of them aloud.

Instead she folded her hands in her lap and clenched her fingers together as she looked out the front window into the stormy night. She said the words that were the kiss of death to any possible romantic relationship. “I just want to be friends.” His low chuckle caused her to cut her gaze to him. “What’s so funny?”

He was grinning. “You are so damned cute.”

She raised her chin. “And you’re infuriating.”

“I am? Huh.” He looked thoughtful but still amused. “Just say yes. It’ll make things a whole lot easier.”

“Easier than what?” she said.

“Easier than me having to throw you over my shoulder and haul you off.”

Her jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t.”

He glanced at her again. “Try me.”

Jo started to retort but clamped her mouth shut. The thing was she could see him doing just that. The thought didn’t annoy her. Rather, it turned her on—a fact she would deny until the end of time.

“Don’t even try it.” When she finally spoke she narrowed her gaze at him.

He glanced at her with a glint in his eyes. “I’ll do it right in public. Maybe in your bar.”

“I’ll scream.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“No you won’t.” He shook his head. “Tell the truth. The thought of it excites you.”

“You are the most arrogant, infuriating man I have ever met—”

“You might keep your voice down.” He gave a nod in the direction of the back seat. “Jenny could wake up.”

Jo glared at him. “You sure have a way of asking a woman out.”

He shrugged. “Only with you.”

“The answer is still ‘no’,” she said. “And don’t try anything.”

He just grinned again and took her home.

Chapter 2

Friday night, music pulsed in Jo-Jo’s and dancers crowded the floor that was surrounded by tables on three sides and the bar that stretched along most of the right side of the establishment.

Jo crossed her legs at the knees as she settled into a chair at the small table with her younger half-sister, Charlee. Jo’s short emerald green dress slid up, exposing a good length of thigh and leg. Sequins on the dress sparkled in the flashing lights shining from the dance floor.

Charlee wore a simple black dress that reached just above her knees. She tended to be more conservative than Jo, shyer and less confident about her appearance. Jo still lacked a lot of self-confidence but she believed in “fake it ’til you make it”.

“See that man in the far corner?” Charlee smoothed her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder, appearing a little self-conscious as she looked at Jo. “Usually guys are all over you but I think he’s been watching me.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Jo said with a frown. She didn’t like it when Charlee compared herself to Jo. “Men like you just as much.” She glanced in the direction Charlee had indicated. A good-looking, brown-haired man raised a lowball glass to his lips, his gaze focused on Charlee.

With her gaze narrowed, Jo turned to Charlee. “Want me to tell him to keep his eyes to himself?”

Charlee’s cheeks turned a light pink. “I think he’s hot.”

Jo raised an eyebrow. “In a creepy sort of way.”

“Admit it, Jo,” Charlee said with a shake of her head. “You just don’t like men in general.”

Jo gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “A good man is a rare find.”

“Maybe that man is one of those finds.” From beneath lowered eyelids, Charlee glanced in his direction.

“He looks a little old for you,” Jo said. The man had to be close to forty, at least fifteen years older than her twenty-four-year-old sister.

“I like the thought of dating an older man.” Charlee sounded a bit breathless as she gripped the stem of her glass and nearly sloshed out some of the margarita inside it. “He’s coming this way.”

Jo tensed. She inhaled and let out her own breath on a slow exhale. She was overprotective of Charlee and she just needed to relax. She wondered if Charlee was interested in older men since she’d never had a relationship with her own father before he died.

“Hi.” A man’s voice came from just over Jo’s shoulder.

Jo’s eyes were on Charlee as her sister gave a shy smile and looked up. Jo turned slightly and coolly studied the man who seemed to have eyes only for Charlee.

The man exuded charisma and had a smile that probably charmed the pants off most women. His teeth were even and bright white in comparison to his tanned skin. In the dimness of the bar it was usually a little difficult to get a good look at the color of someone’s eyes, but this man’s were a brilliant blue that was easy to see.

He held out his hand to Charlee. “My name is David Smith,” he said.

“I’m Charlee.” She sounded breathless as she looked up at him. She seemed to realize that she was staring at him and she looked a little embarrassed. She drew her hand from his and gave a nod in Jo’s direction. “This is my sister, Jo.”

He turned his winning smile on Jo and extended his hand. “Hi, Jo. A pleasure.”

She gave him a nod and a smile. “Hi.”

“Mind if I join you?” he asked as he gestured to one of the two empty chairs at the table.

Charlee looked a little flustered as she smiled and said, “Sure.”

Jo leaned back in her chair and tapped her martini glass with her manicured fingernails. She surveyed David as he sat and scooted his seat up to the table, fairly close to Charlee.

He gave an amiable smile as he looked at Charlee. “Nice place.”

She gestured to Jo. “My sister owns Jo-Jo’s.”

He turned his gaze on Jo. “It looks like you run a successful business.”

“It does well enough.” She kept her tone casual. As a matter of fact, Jo-Jo’s was probably the most successful bar in Prescott with Nectar’s running a close second. It wasn’t something she advertised or talked about. “You must be new around here,” she said.

He settled his lowball glass on the tabletop. He was probably drinking something like rum and Coke. “For the time being I live in Phoenix and am commuting here for work during the week.” He looked at Charlee. “I just may move here permanently. I like what I see.” He kept his attention on Charlee. “Would you like to dance?”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Excuse us.” He met Jo’s gaze as he stood and took Charlee’s hand, helping her to her feet.

Jo gave a slight nod, then watched David escort Charlee to the dance floor.

“Hey, Jo.” Marty caught her attention and she turned to look up at the beefcake of a bouncer. She didn’t mind having a little eye candy working around her, not at all. Marty wore a serious expression. “There’s a guy making trouble up front. He’s drunk off his ass and making a scene.”

Jo frowned. “Is it bad enough to bring the police in on it?”

Marty gave a nod. “We tossed him out but we can’t get rid of him.”

“Then make the call.” She gave him a tight smile. “You know I trust your judgment.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Marty turned and headed back to the front entrance.

Jo mentally shook her head. One of the joys of running a bar was dealing with drunken jerks.

Her gaze turned to where Charlee and David had disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor. The song ended, but the couple didn’t return as a second tune started up. Not that Jo expected them to. It was clear that they were attracted to each other.

Charlee stood to inherit a large sum of money when she reached twenty-five and Jo was concerned that someone would attempt to take advantage of her sweet and naïve half-sister. It was likely that this David wouldn’t know anything about the inheritance, though, so she shouldn’t be too worried.

“Alone?” A low, rumbling drawl yanked Jo from her thoughts and she looked over to see Tate McBride pulling up a chair at her table.

With a casualness she didn’t feel around Tate, she looked him over. Damn, he looked good—way too good. He wore a white Stetson with a white western shirt that fit him as if it was tailored for his muscular frame. Something about the man sent little shivers through her every time she was around him. It had been almost a week since their flight back from Las Vegas and she’d thought of him more than once since then—and not just when the lights were on.

She kept her expression even as she met his gaze. “Why don’t you go ahead and make yourself at home?”

 “Don’t mind if I do.” He flashed her a grin. “It’s rare to see you relaxing in your own club.”

“You’re not in here often enough to know,” she said.

“I’ll have to remedy that.” He turned his attention to Tanya, one of Jo’s servers who came up to the table.

Tanya set a paper napkin down in front of Tate as she smiled at him and then Jo. Like the other employees, Tanya wore black. She tended to wear skirts even shorter than Jo’s and had a cute petite figure.

“What can I get you, Tate?” Tanya asked.

“Blue Moon.” He smiled at Tanya and she gave him a flirtatious look.

She turned her gaze on Jo. “Anything you’d like, boss?”

Jo felt that old sick feeling in her abdomen and she held her hand to her belly. Alcohol was empty calories and she needed to—

Stopping that way of thinking was what she needed.

“I’ll take another lemon drop, Tanya,” Jo said with a smile.

“Great.” Tanya nodded as she picked up Jo’s empty martini glass. “I’ll bring you some bar snacks, too.”

Jo almost rushed to say,
“Don’t,”
but instead nodded.

When she turned back to Tate, he was studying her. The way he was looking at her made her feel like he knew she was fighting with herself about something deep inside.

“So, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Meeting anyone?”

“You know why I’m here.” His gaze was intense as he looked at her. “I told you that I want to see you again.”

Jo found herself looking away from him, not wanting to meet his gaze. It would be too easy to say yes to the tall, dark, and sexy cowboy. She searched the crowd for Charlee and David but still didn’t see them. She hoped her sister hadn’t done something irrational like leave the club with the man. After what her friend Tess had gone through, being abducted right from Jo-Jo’s, it made Jo feel almost panicked to think that Charlee would be that reckless.