Wild Card: Boys of Fall (7 page)

“Where we headed to?” he asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

He liked the sound of that.

Lorelie pointed to the dashboard. “Radio?”

He fiddled with the dial until he found an old Keith Whitley song. He quietly sang along as Lorelie drove. Neither one of them felt it necessary to fill the ride with chatter, letting the soft country melody add to the peacefulness of the night.

Glen recognized her driveway and he was slightly surprised that she would bring him to the ranch. Then she bypassed the house and the barn, taking a dirt road he hadn’t seen before. Within moments, she was pulling next to the same creek where they’d chatted last October.

It was chillier now than it had been in the fall, so neither of them left the car. Instead, Lorelie turned off the engine, but kept the battery engaged so the radio continued to play.

Then she unhooked her seat belt and twisted in her seat to look at him.

He followed suit. “I like it here.”

She nodded. “It’s my favorite place on the ranch. Do some of my best thinking by this creek.”

“What do you think about?”

Lorelie sighed. “Everything. And sometimes nothing.”

Glen glanced out the windshield. The night was clear and bright, the sky filled with a million stars. “Sometimes I forget how many stars there are. Rarely see them in the cities where we play.”

“So you really like life on the road?”

He started to nod, and then stopped, unwilling to lie to her. “I used to.”

“But not anymore?”

He shrugged. “It’s getting harder.”

“Because of Trent?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you in Quinn?”

Damn woman was too astute, too clever. “I punched Trent after the last concert.”

Her eyes widened, first with shock, then he thought with amusement. “Wish I’d been there to see that.”

He chuckled, but said, “Not my finest moment, I can assure you.”

“Why did you hit him?”

“He was trying to take advantage of a young fan. Gave her drugs, shit like that.”

Lorelie gave him a confused look. “Sounds like that
was
your finest moment.”

Glen sighed. “I think I’m getting too old for a lot of crap that’s going on around me lately.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-eight.”

She snorted. “That’s hardly old.”

“I got a decade on you. And believe me, I’m feeling every minute of it these days.”

“I’m going to circle back to my original question. Why are you here? Did you get fired?”

He shook his head. “According to my manager, I’m laying low until the dust settles.”

Lorelie frowned. “You would actually go back to working for that asshole?”

Glen didn’t respond. Mainly because the answer was yes, and he was ashamed of that. Ashamed to tell her that he would. But what choice did he have? His life was spent on the road.

When he considered what that entailed—basically just playing his guitar and his crummy, sparsely furnished apartment in Nashville that he rarely saw—he realized it wasn’t much of a life.

When the silence lingered too long, she figured out the answer without him speaking. “There must be other bands you could join. I can’t believe you have to keep playing for someone you clearly don’t respect.”

“There are other bands.”

She lifted her hand as if the answer was simple. And maybe to her it did seem that way. To him, it meant starting over again—and for the first time since he stepped foot in Nashville at sixteen, Glen wasn’t sure his heart was in it anymore.

Problem with that feeling was…music was all he knew. He’d never had a job that didn’t include a guitar. Which left him three paths—returning to Trent, finding a new gig, or leaving the music behind to do God only knew what.

The idea of leaving Nashville terrified him. He took no pleasure in admitting that to himself. He had too much damn pride and the fact that he was scared tweaked the fuck out of it. Left him feeling weak.

She reached out and took his hand. “I can see I’ve hit a nerve. That really wasn’t my intention in bringing you out here.”

Lorelie was offering him an out and he grabbed it with both hands. “What
was
your intention?”

“To seduce you.”

Just like that, Glen’s concerns about the future vanished as all the blood in his body rushed to his cock.

“Lori, darlin’.”

“Yeah?”

“Seduce me.”

She laughed softly, and then glanced over her shoulder at the backseat.

He answered her suggestive look. “Yeah. I like where you’re going with that.” Glen opened the passenger door and quickly walked around the front of the car to open hers. “Hop out.”

She did as he said, smiling widely when he opened the back door. She owned a nice-sized Yukon. Lots of room for what he had in mind.

Lorelie climbed in and turned around, crooking her finger in invitation.

He followed her onto the backseat and shut the door. Neither of them said a word. They knew what came next, knew what they wanted. So they took it.

Glen tugged her close, kissing her as if they’d been apart for years. Lorelie wrapped her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. He opened his mouth, their tongues touching, tasting.

He slid his hands along her arms, loving the way she shivered in response. Tugging at her shirt, he reached beneath the cotton until he found the soft skin of her waist. She sighed against his mouth.

Glen had kissed more than his fair share of women in his lifetime, but none of them held a candle to Lorelie. She didn’t hold back, didn’t hesitate or demur. There wasn’t a drop of shyness in her. She wanted. She took.

She found the top button of his shirt and slipped it loose, then the next. And the next. Within seconds, his shirt was hanging open. Lorelie took advantage of the skin she’d bared, running her fingers along his chest, his pecs.

Her lips slid along his neck, sucking lightly.

Glen ran his fingers through her hair, tightening his grip on the soft, thick mass. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

She lifted her head, her blue eyes finding his. “So are you.”

He grinned, and then leaned closer. “You need glasses, Butterfly.”

Lorelie moved quickly, catching him off guard as she pushed him back and straddled his hips. “My eyesight is just fine.” She bent forward and initiated the next round of kisses.

Glen did his own exploring, beneath her shirt, stroking her back and toying with the clasp to her bra. He didn’t typically hesitate, but he couldn’t quite let go of what Lorelie had said in the bar. It had been a while for her. She was still trying to find her way back after a rough patch with her dad.

In the past, he hadn’t been one to pull away, to refuse an offer as tempting as what Lorelie was dangling in front of him. But something held him back, had him thinking that making out with Lorelie—and not taking it any further than that—would be perfect enough.

He left her bra in place. God willing, he’d find himself alone with her again, and then again. He’d get where he was aiming to go, but he wasn’t going to rush her.

It was those damn gridiron guardians of hers. They were fucking with his head.

Lorelie
was
the type of woman a guy dated. Too special for a one-night stand. Glen had spent a lifetime of wham-bam. His lifestyle didn’t afford him the opportunity for long-term relationships or even part-time affairs. And in truth, he didn’t have the time here either. But he still wanted to do things differently with Lorelie.

Her lips found his earlobe and then his neck once more. His cock was hard enough to pound through concrete. Lorelie had discovered that fact for herself, given the way she was rocking her denim-clad pussy against his crotch. Too much more of that and he’d explode.

“God, Lori,” he murmured, pulling his lips away from hers. “We need to stop, darlin’, before we can’t.”

She looked like she wanted to fight him, so he placed another quick kiss on her lips.

“I mean it.” He’d hoped his stern, no-nonsense tone would make an impact, but Lorelie wasn’t that easy to maneuver.

“I don’t want to stop.”

“I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t want to either. But we’re going to. Let me take you out to dinner. We’ll talk a bit, get to know each other better.”

“Is this your standard operating procedure?”

He laughed. “Nah. I just want to spend more time with you.”

“Why?”

Glen didn’t hesitate. “Because I like you.”

He thought his answer would prompt a smile, but Lorelie only looked more confused.

“You’re not staying long.”

He could hang out in Quinn if he wanted to.

That realization came unbidden and took him by surprise. He wasn’t living on anyone’s timeline but his own.

“I can stay longer.”

She smiled as if he’d given her the moon on a silver platter. “You can?”

“Yeah. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands right now. And I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”

“I’m glad. You still coming by the ranch tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Looking forward to my personal rodeo.”

Lorelie laughed. “Don’t get too excited. I’m out of practice. I’ll probably toss my rope and catch a bunch of air.”

“Wouldn’t mind taking a real tour of this ranch of yours too. Seeing what life is like here. Who knows? Might inspire a country song or two.”

“Not sure you’ll have time to write any more songs once you’ve covered all of Ruby’s albums.”

He kissed her again. He meant to keep the touch brief, soft, but that went to hell the second Lorelie opened her mouth and stole another taste. Her fingers still rested on his bare chest. What would he give to guide them farther south so she could touch the part of him that was really aching?

Glen pulled away and tried to shake some sense into himself. “You’re making it really hard for me to be a gentleman here, Lori.”

“What gave you the impression I wanted a gentleman?”

He decided it was time to give the woman a taste of her own medicine. So far he’d let her hold the reins, make the moves. That wasn’t something that came natural to him. And it wasn’t something he’d do for long.

Twisting, he tossed Lorelie to her back on the wide seat, caging her beneath him. He gave her a quick, hard kiss, and then held himself over her, forcing her to look him straight in the eye.

“I know exactly what you want. I pay attention. And I’m pretty sure I know some things you might like, but don’t even know you want yet.”

Lorelie’s legs were parted. He had to force himself to hold his stern expression and not laugh when she wrapped her ankles around his waist, rubbing against him like a purring kitten.

“Not here, Butterfly. When I take you, it’s going to be in a bed and we’re going to have hours to do it right.”

“Glen. It’s been too long. I don’t need fancy, trust me.”

“Maybe you don’t. But I do.” He gave her a longer kiss, and then, much as it pained him, he sat up and opened the back door. For a second, he wasn’t sure Lorelie was going to follow him. She lay there quietly looking at the roof of the car until her rapid breathing slowed.

Then, she sat up as well. “Figures,” she muttered as she got out of the car.

“What does?”

“I’d manage to find a sexy singing cowboy with morals, principles. Patience.”

He chuckled. “My patience is being seriously tested, believe me. And I’m going to have the mother of all blue balls tonight.”

“Simple solution,” she said in a sexy singsong voice.

“Soon.” He glanced around at the dark, quiet night. “Hate the idea of you having to run me all the way back to the B&B, only to have to drive here again.”

“You can drop me off at my house and take my car tonight. Then you can just bring it back when you come to visit tomorrow afternoon.”

“You sure?”

She nodded.

“Okay. I like that better than thinking of you on the road alone this late.”

Lorelie kissed him on the cheek. “I’d say you’re doing a bang-up job being a gentleman.”

“It’s a whole new me.”

“I like it, even if it does sort of piss me off.”

They got back in the car, but this time, he climbed behind the driver’s seat. When he pulled up in front of her house, Lorelie leaned over and kissed him. As their lips parted, he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Going to be hard driving away from you.”

She cupped his cheek. “Going to be hard falling asleep tonight. You’ve sort of left me in a…” She paused, seeking a word, then she landed on, “State.”

“Tell you what. I’ll think about you while I’m dealing with
my
state, and you can think about me. Builds up the anticipation for next time.”

“So long as that next time is tomorrow,” she added.

“That was never in question.”

He gave her another quick kiss before she climbed out of the car. He waited until she got into the house and then he put the car in drive and headed back to town.

Small town life had suddenly gotten a lot more interesting.

T
oby
: How long you planning to stay in Quinn?

Glen: Thought that was up to you

Toby: You can come back now

Glen: Hell no. Last night bad?

Toby: Disaster

Glen: Trent want me back?

Toby (after long silence): No

Glen: Then I’m staying put

Toby: Don’t stay gone too long

Glen: You’re the one who told me to go away

Toby: Regretting that

Glen: He’s your problem now

Toby: I don’t get paid enough for this shit

Glen: Gotta go. Date with a beautiful cowgirl

Toby: You’re a heartless fucking bastard

Glen: I love you too

L
orelie glanced
out the front kitchen window and sighed.

“Okay. What are we waiting for?” Dad asked from his seat at the table. They’d been snapping the green beans she was going to cook for dinner.

She turned around and gave him a confused look. “What?”

“You’ve looked out that window no less than fifteen times in the last five minutes. What’s about to happen?”

“Oh.” She hadn’t meant to give herself away. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t told her dad about Glen coming to visit. For some reason, she felt sort of nervous about the two of them meeting.

Well, they’d actually already met at the party in October, but that had been little more than an introduction and handshake between strangers.

She wanted her dad to like Glen. And she wanted Glen to like Dad. Completely silly desires when she considered how short Glen’s time in Quinn was going to be. She had to keep reminding herself that this attraction between them was destined to be a short-term affair and nothing more. She was okay with that. Glen was helping her break free of the doldrums that had plagued her for too long.

“Do you remember Glen, Wade’s friend from Nashville? He played the guitar at your party.”

“That tall, nice-looking fella who couldn’t keep his eyes off you?”

Sadie had alluded to the same thing. How had Lorelie missed all those stares?

She knew how. She’d been obsessed with watching over her father, making sure he didn’t overdo it at the party.

“I don’t know about that. Anyway, he’s back in town for a longer visit. He was at Charlene and Wade’s dinner party the other night. I invited him for a tour of the ranch and Sunday dinner.”

Dad studied her face with way too much interest. “Is that right?”

He’d masked his tone, making it difficult for her to figure out what the heck he meant with his casual question.

“He’s never spent any time on a ranch, so he’s curious to see how it works.”

“Mmmhmm.”

Lorelie narrowed her eyes. “What’s that mean?”

“In twenty-eight years, you’ve never invited a man here for Sunday dinner.”

“So?”

Dad grinned. “So I’m just wondering what that might mean.”

“He’s a musician, Dad. He tours with Trent Maxwell. The man is on the road most of the year. Which means he’s only in Quinn for a little while.”

“Mmmhmm,” her father repeated.

Lorelie rolled her eyes. “You’re driving me mad.”

Before they could continue the conversation, the crunch of tires on gravel sounded out front.

“He’s here.”

Lorelie started to walk outside to meet Glen, intent on leading him straight to the stable, putting off the dad/future lover (God please) meeting until later. Maybe the introduction would be easier with Joel, Oakley and Sadie around.

She was almost to the kitchen door when her father caught her by the upper arm, gently halting her escape.

“Not so fast. I want to meet him.” Dad glanced out the window. “Why is he driving your car?”

Lorelie had sort of hoped her dad wouldn’t notice that detail. “His truck broke down. We drove back here from Pitchers together and then I let him borrow my Yukon, so he could get back to his room at the B&B. He didn’t want me driving alone so late at night.”

“I see.” More of the elusive tone.

Lorelie huffed. “Dad,” she started.

“Go open the door, Lori.”

Glen’s footsteps sounded on the porch. Lorelie took a deep breath as her father released her and she headed for the front door. Dad followed closely behind.

She opened the door at Glen’s knock, and then he stepped inside at the invitation her father issued from behind her.

“Dad,” Lorelie said, “you remember Glen Rodgers.”

The men shook hands.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Carr.”

Dad shook his head. “No need to be so formal. Everyone around here just calls me Coach.”

“Have to admit I feel like I know you. Wade thinks the world of you. Quoted you quite a bit when we used to tour together.”

Dad was clearly pleased to hear that. “Nice to know my boys were listening.”

Glen turned his attention to her. “You look pretty today, Lori.”

She snuck a quick glance at her dad, wondering how he would react to Glen’s nickname. No one had ever used that name for her except her father. As she expected, his gaze was on her face, probably waiting for her to correct Glen.

She didn’t bother. It was too late now, and Glen would think she was nuts if she suddenly pretended to take offense again. Besides…she liked when he called her Lori. And Butterfly. She was
really
fond of Butterfly.

Then Lorelie glanced down in the face of his compliment to study her attire. She was in faded blue jeans, a Quinn Titans T-shirt and dusty boots. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she’d tossed a cowboy hat on as well. “Oh yeah,” she teased. “I’m a regular rodeo queen.”

“Lori says you’re visiting for a few days before heading back out on tour.”

Glen nodded slowly. “Yeah. That was the original plan.” He looked at Lorelie. “Bertha is officially out of commission.”

“Bertha?” her dad asked, as Lorelie smiled widely, not bothering to hide her delight.

“Oh yeah?” she asked.

“Wade called a local mechanic, Randi, to come out to his place to take a look at it. She said the two of you are friends.”

“We are,” Lorelie confirmed. Randi was part of her gang of girlfriends, though she hadn’t seen much of her lately. Randi was helping Nolan with the book he was writing about Lorelie’s father. Nolan, the bookworm, didn’t know much about football, so he was relying on Randi’s help since she basically lived and breathed the sport.

“So it looks like I’m going to be stuck in Quinn for a couple weeks rather than days. Randi has to order a part.”

“Wow. How will you survive without the bright lights of the big city?”

“I think you’re glad I’m trapped. You’ve raised a cruel daughter, Coach.”

Dad lifted one shoulder, enjoying their banter. “Well, I did my best, Glen. So you’re a city boy?”

“Philly, born and raised.”

“Your folks still live there?” Dad asked.

Glen hesitated. “I assume so. I haven’t seen them in twenty-two years.”

“Seriously?” Lorelie asked, doing the math. He hadn’t seen his parents since he was sixteen?

Glen shrugged good-naturedly. “We weren’t all blessed with great fathers, Butterfly.”

Once again, she felt her father’s gaze on her face and was left to wonder what he’d noticed this time. The lack of parents or the term of endearment. Glen wasn’t trying to hide his interest in her at all. Not that she minded. It was just…foreign territory for her.

Dad was right. She’d never brought a guy home for Sunday dinner. Never dated anyone for longer than a few weeks after high school. And none of those relationships had involved much more than hanging out at Pitchers and occasionally hooking up.

Lorelie had always blamed the boys of fall for her lack of serious boyfriends, but she realized Glen had actually latched onto the real reason for her life of solitude. No man had ever measured up to her dad.

Oakley and Joel appeared at the door. Neither of them looked particularly overjoyed to see Glen.

“Hi, Glen,” Oakley said, while Joel merely nodded his greeting.

Glen, as always, was more amused by their cold shoulder than offended. “Oakley, Joel, good to see you again.”

Joel glanced at Coach. “We were just about to load the truck with the new fence posts. You want to ride out to the south pasture with us in about an hour to show us where we should start?”

Dad nodded then he glanced at Glen. “Lori tells me you’re interested in learning about the ranch.”

“Yeah. Curious to see what goes on around here.”

“Sounds to me like you’re about to have a little time on your hands. If you want a real up-close look at the lifestyle, maybe you’d like to try to live it.”

“What did you have in mind?” Glen asked, his tone laced with what sounded like genuine interest.

“Me and the boys are starting a new project, building a new fencerow. Going to take us some time, as we have our regular chores to do as well. Strong backs are always welcome. Fancy playing ranch hand this week?”

“Me and Oak can handle the fence,” Joel interjected. It appeared he hadn’t given up hope that he could keep Glen away from Lorelie.

She was ready to rip Joel a new one when Glen piped up. “I’d like that a lot, Coach.”

The idea of having Glen around all day, every day, sounded like heaven on earth, and if her dad wouldn’t think she’d lost her mind, she’d hug him for suggesting it.

“Great,” Dad said. “Then it’s all settled. You can start first thing in the morning. By the way, we get rolling at five thirty.”

Glen’s eyes widened and Lorelie fought to hide her grin.

“A.M.?” he clarified.

Oakley chuckled, while Joel just shook his head.

“I think you’re going to like working here, Glen.” Dad started upstairs, looking back at Joel and Oakley. “Let me finish a couple things around here and then change into my work boots. I’ll meet you boys by the barn in an hour. And, Lorelie, why don’t you give Glen that tour so he’s not lost tomorrow?”

Joel and Oakley left the house, clearly not excited about the new turn of events. She imagined Joel wouldn’t make it twenty paces from the house before he’d texted all the guys to tell them about Glen’s extended stay and new part-time job.

“You didn’t have to say yes,” she said, when they were alone again.

“I like the idea of playing ranch hand. Besides, your dad just handed me the perfect way to spend every single day with you.”

He was right. Her father
had
done that.

Why had Dad done that?

She added that to the list of “what the hell’s going on” items rattling around in her brain that she’d have to try to decipher at some point. “Thought we’d do the rodeo demo first. Though I warn you, it’s going to be a far cry from what really happens. I’m ten years away from competing and I haven’t tried this in ages.”

He took her hand, the two of them walking to the stable together. “Sweetheart, I wasn’t kidding about the city boy childhood. The fact that you can ride a horse at something faster than a ramble will impress the hell out of me.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I hope you’re ready to be amazed.”

As they entered the stable, Lorelie led him to a stall near the back. Reaching into her back pocket, she handed Glen a carrot. “This is Penny.”

“Penny?”

“Probably not a very original name. She has a shiny copper-colored coat. Reminded me of a new penny, so…”

“Suits her. She’s yours?”

Lorelie nodded. “Yeah. She’s my spoiled baby. She’s a sucker for treats. Give her this and she’ll love you for life.”

Glen stroked the horse’s head as she claimed the carrot, munching slowly and then butting her head playfully against his shoulder.

“You familiar with horses at all?”

Glen shook his head. “I’ve been on one a couple of times, but I’m not going to tell you why.”

“Too late. You can’t say something like that and not divulge all.”

“We were shooting a music video.”

“With Wade or Trent?”

“Trent,” Glen said, never managing to conceal his disdain for the guy. “It was a ridiculous video. I’m sitting on top of this ancient horse with my guitar. Bass player is on one as well. The drummer was sitting on top of some mound of dirt, just behind us, while Trent is strutting and dancing around with three supermodels. I felt like a complete jackass.”

“I’m pulling that up on YouTube the second we get back to the house.”

Glen laughed and tugged on the end of her ponytail. “If you have any compassion in you, you’ll forget that video exists and never go looking for it.”

“Like you said to my dad, I’m a cruel woman.”

“Damn. Now I’m really sorry I mentioned it.”

Penny nudged Glen once more, obviously hoping for another carrot. Lorelie slipped another out of her pocket and handed it to him to feed her horse. Penny rubbed her nose against his chest when he teased her with it, holding it just out of reach for a second before giving it to her.

“She’s a total flirt,” Lorelie said.

“Just my luck,” he said with a sigh.

“What do you mean?”

“Wrong girl is flirting with me.”

Lorelie moved closer. “Feeling neglected?” She ran her hand along his chest, tempted to unbutton his shirt like she had the night before. The man was built, a wall of muscles. She’d always been a sucker for a six-pack. Lorelie attributed that appreciation to the abundance of eye candy in her neck of the woods. Between football players and cowboys and the hot Texas sun, she’d spent a lifetime spoiled by sexy, shirtless man-flesh shows.

She would put Glen’s chest up there with the best of them, which was surprising considering he was neither an athlete nor a cowboy. She played with the top button of his shirt, ready to say to hell to the rodeo show, but Glen caught her hand and stopped her.

“You start that and I’m in trouble. I think your dad likes me. Hate to ruin that this early in the game by dragging you into one of these stalls and doing dirty, dirty things to you.”

Lorelie’s pussy clenched. “That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

Glen laughed. “Yeah. I’m sure you would.”

She frowned. “How many women have you had sex with?”