Long Hard Road (Crestwood Valley)

2. Madison

Acabin in the middle of nowhere had seemed like a great idea when my only focus had been survival. But now I was forced to deal with the consequence of that hasty decision.

The cabin had no television. No internet. I hadn’t thought to buy any groceries or bring any sort of entertainment with me. I was alone, just like I had wanted. Only I hadn’t accounted for the torture of having nothing to do but think about all the things that had happened in my life that had brought me to such a desperate place.

“Forget this,” I muttered to myself, pulling on my coat and boots. The bar I had passed on my way to the cabin was just a short walk away. A few drinks would help chase away the cold that had settled in my bones and would help me sleep tonight. It might keep away potential nightmares.

It didn’t take me long to realize the error of my plan. My boots were worthless on the snowy asphalt and while my coat was fashionable, it did little to chase away the winter chill. I would need to do some shopping very soon or I was going to freeze my butt off in Crestwood.

I somehow managed to slip and slide my way down the road to the bar and let out a relieved breath when a blast of heat escaped as I opened the old wooden door. There was no sign giving the bar’s name, but several neon beer signs were lighting up the front windows.

It was a Tuesday night and the bar was almost empty. I ignored the stares of a few patrons who tracked my progress toward the bar. I hadn’t planned on being the only female looking for a drink tonight. At least the age demographic in the bar wasn’t likely to recognize me.

“Welcome.” The deep voice greeting me was not unfamiliar. That made no sense considering I knew absolutely no one in this town. But I knew those steely gray eyes.

“Oh. It’s you.”

The man behind the bar flashed his crooked smile. “Please, withhold your excitement.” He gestured to one of the empty barstools. “Have a seat. What can I get you?”

“Crown and cola, please.” I chose the barstool at the corner of the bar, as far away from the other patrons as possible. I just wanted a drink, not a lot of awkward small talk.

Fortunately, no one else seemed to be in the mood for a chat either, except for the gorgeous bartender placing my drink in front of me.

“I know you,” he said.

“Oh?” I ducked my head and appeared to be fascinated by the red straw in my drink.

“The café earlier today. You tried to throw your coffee on me.”

I laughed, relieved that this was the recognition that had struck a chord with him. “If I was trying to throw my coffee on you, it wouldn’t have ended up all over me. I am quite good at throwing drinks on men.”

“Lots of practice, huh?” he said solemnly. “I’m Nate, by the way.”

“Madison.” I studied him carefully to see if that name resonated with him in any way.

“You’re not from around here.” He grabbed a towel to wipe up an invisible bead of moisture on the bar.

“You sure about that?”

He nodded. “I’d remember a pretty woman like you.”

“Smooth.” I giggled internally at the realization that this man probably did know who I was, he just didn’t realize it even though he was looking at me so intensely.

“What brought you to Crestwood? The hopping nightlife or the bustling downtown?” Nate had a voice so deep and smooth it wouldn’t have sounded out of place on one of the audiobooks I was always listening to.

“This is a nice town. I was actually surprised by the number of cute shops and restaurants on Main Street. For such a small population, it looks like you all manage to draw some tourists.” That had been a miscalculation on my part. My goal had been to find an isolated town where I would have limited contact with people.

“Not as many this time of year, but Crestwood is a great place to visit outside of winter. Great hiking trails in the spring and we have the rodeo and county fair in the summer. Lots of hunting and fishing spots. Easy drive from Denver. And starting this year, I expect the Lucky Charm Ranch will be a big tourist draw.”

“What’s that?” I was pleasantly surprised that Nate was interested in an actual conversation and not just hitting on me.

“My brother runs a guest ranch in the valley. It’s always been successful, but they have added a bunch of amenities over the last few months and business is going to take off this spring.” Nate wiped up another spot of moisture on the bar. “If you have some time, you should check it out.”

“Maybe I will.” I had no idea what happened on a guest ranch, but Nate’s gray eyes could’ve talked me into almost anything. “You didn’t want to work on the ranch?”

“I work for my other brother on the actual working ranch. This,” he said, gesturing around the room, “is just a temporary thing. My buddy owns this bar and he’s on his honeymoon with his husband. They are doing a safari in South Africa and will be gone for a month. I offered to run this place while he’s gone.”

“That’s a really nice thing to offer.” I took a sip of my drink. “And you aren’t bad at bartending.”

“Let’s just say I have some experience making drinks.” Nate smiled apologetically when the man at the other end of the bar called him over. “I’ll be back to check on you.”

I shouldn’t have enjoyed that as much as I did. The last thing I needed was someone paying close attention to me. Even if that someone was easily the hottest man I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as he moved around behind the bar. Nate wore dark jeans that were faded at the knees and just below his gorgeous ass. The white t-shirt he wore perfectly hugged the hard muscles beneath it. I could see the faint hint of dark tattoos beneath the fabric and I wanted to yank away the cotton and trace the ink with my fingers.

“Can I get you anything, angel?” He asked when he caught me staring. “Maybe something to wipe away the drool?”

I gasped and my face heated to an uncomfortable burn. Being caught drooling over his incredible body was bad enough, but just hearing him call me angel was enough to send blood rushing and not just to my face. “I’m fine,” I said breathlessly.

“Don’t undersell yourself.” His stroll toward me was ridiculously sexy. “You’re a lot more than fine.”

“I’m not interested,” I blurted out.

Nate chuckled. “I appreciate your directness, but I wasn’t hitting on you.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I spent little time around men in a social capacity and had no idea how to flirt or recognize the signs of flirting.

“I know when a woman is out of my league.” He poured an inch of amber liquid into a glass and took a deep swallow that had me riveted by the abrupt movement of his Adam’s apple. “Not to mention you’re barely old enough to be in this bar and I’m probably a decade older than you.”

“I’m 24,” I protested.

“You’ve just proved my point.” He took another sip of his drink.

“You have something against younger women?”

He shrugged. “Not generally. But I’m not looking to flirt with one.”

“Why not?” I was genuinely surprised. In my limited experience, men didn’t care if a woman was younger as long as she was legal. And that wasn’t always a dealbreaker either.

“Do you want to flirt with a guy eight years younger than you?”

I shuddered. “No, but that would be a literal child. I’m not a child.”

“Maybe to me you are.” He laughed as he swatted away the bunched-up napkin that I threw at his face. “I was wrong. You’re obviously very mature.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed again. “Maybe you’re really just too afraid that you can’t keep up with a younger woman.”

“Nope. That’s not a concern.” He placed his large hands on the bar and leaned forward, tightening the corded muscles that had captivated me. “You’ve never been with an older man, have you?”

There was no way I was going to form words so I just shook my head and finished the rest of my drink in one big gulp.

“Hm.” Nate continued to appraise me. “It’s too bad you’re not interested, angel.”

My heart was thudding loud enough that I worried he could hear it. I knew he could see the flair of my nostrils as I sucked in a sharp breath. This man wasn’t just some older man in a random town in Colorado. He was everything I’d been forbidden from having and if I stared into those eyes for much longer, I might do whatever it took to have him.

“I should go. Thanks for the drink.” I pulled a twenty-dollar bill from my pocket and slapped it on the bar.

“The weather is brutal out there. Be careful on the roads.” Nate looked like he wanted to tell me not to go.

“I walked,” I said, reaching for my coat.

Nate reached across the bar and grabbed my hand. “You can’t walk home alone in a snowstorm in the middle of the night.”

“I can’t?” If anyone else had tried to prevent me from leaving, I would’ve yanked my arm away and told them to go to hell. But something about Nate’s worried expression had me settling back onto my barstool. “Are you suggesting I sleep in the bar tonight?”

“No. I’ll walk you home.” He let go of my arm and took a step back. “Just give me a few minutes to close up.”

“But what about – ” When I looked to where the other patrons had been sitting, I was shocked to see empty seats. I had been so captivated by Nate’s every word and movement that I hadn’t realized the other people had left and we were alone.

Nate walked around the bar and started clearing away the last of the empty glasses and beer bottles. I watched for a moment, entranced by his smooth movements before shaking myself out of my stupor and joining him in the clean-up.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said when he caught me picking up a red stirrer beneath a table. “Emilio never keeps the Nest very clean. He says it’s part of the charm.”

“I thought that was you.” I was proud of myself for finally being able to say something without stammering. It was an extra reward to earn a deep chuckle from Nate.

“I’ve been called a lot of things, but charming wouldn’t be at the top of the list.” He went behind the bar and opened the sales till and began counting the cash. When he was done, he placed it all in a metal box and jotted something in a ledger. “I need to lock this up in the office. I’ll be right back.” He shot me a pointed look. “Please don’t go anywhere.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

Nate was only gone for a minute and he came back wearing a heavy winter coat with a logo on the left side in the shape of a horseshoe. When he got a little closer I saw that the words Sullivan Ranch stitched beneath the arch.

“You might want to think about getting a heavier winter coat, Madison.” He eyed my fashionable but not practical leather jacket. “Do you want to borrow mine?”

“I’m not taking your coat, Nate.” I was not surprised that Mr. Gentleman had offered me his coat just as we were about to step out into a snowstorm. “Where I’m staying isn’t far.”

“You’re in one of Maggie’s cabins, aren’t you?” Nate pushed open the door and held it for me.

“How do you know that?” It suddenly became apparent to me that the one thing more dangerous than walking home alone in a snowstorm might be allowing a man I had just met to walk me home.

“There are no hotels or other rentals that would be an easy walk from this place,” he explained smoothly. “Maggie’s cabins are nice. A good place to enjoy some time in the country while not being far from downtown.”

“Have you lived in Crestwood your whole life?”

“No. I lived here until I went to college and then after I graduated, I joined the military as an officer. I lived away from here for about eight years.” Nate put a hand around my elbow as we stepped onto the snowy sidewalk.

“Why did you leave the military?”

Nate was quiet for so long that I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me. “It was what I needed to do.” He cleared his throat and the expression on his face shifted from tense to relaxed in an instant. “My dad had a stroke a couple of years ago and I decided to move back and help my older brothers with the family ranch.”

“That was a selfless thing to do.” I could tell there was something that Nate wasn’t telling me about his decision to return to Crestwood, but we didn’t know each other well enough for me to start prying. “Is your dad doing okay now?”

“Yeah, he is. The old man is too stubborn to stay down for long.” Nate’s affection for his father was evident in his light chuckle. “He stepped back from working the farm after the stroke and just recently handed over operations to my sister’s best friend. Lily is a genius and business is going great.”

“You didn’t want the job?” I did my best not to let my teeth chatter. Part of me was really wishing I’d accepted Nate’s coat offer.

“Not even a little bit.” His answer was swift and genuine. “I’m not a sit-behind-the-desk guy. I like working with my hands.”

I made the mistake of looking at him and found it impossible to look away. Snowflakes dusted his dark hair and his cheeks were flushed from the cold. I watched as he blinked away a flake that landed on his absurdly thick lashes.

“Too frozen to speak?” he teased when he caught me staring at him in stunned silence.

“You’re absurdly attractive,” I said, the alcohol taking control of my mouth before I could stop it.

Adorably, Nate’s cheeks turned even redder as he looked away in embarrassment. “Um, thanks?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Or myself. I just sometimes say things before running the words through a filter.” My publicist was forever reminding me to think before I speak.

“Don’t be sorry.” He flashed a sexy crooked smile. “You should feel free to compliment me anytime you want, angel.”

Now it was my turn to blush and look away. “This is my cabin.” I gestured toward it and was surprised when Nate continued to guide me up the driveway. “You don’t have to walk me to my door.”

“I just want to make sure you get there safely.” He gripped my elbow tighter when one of my feet slipped a little. “Don’t worry, this isn’t some sleazy way of trying to get you to invite me inside.”

“I didn’t think it was.” But only because Nate had already been clear that he had no desire to hook up with someone my age. “I’m not your type, remember?”

“I never said that.” His normally enigmatic smile was a little sad. “I just think you’re too young and innocent to be ruined by a man like me.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by that and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. “Well, thanks for walking me home.”

“My pleasure.” He dipped his head like he was tipping a nonexistent hat. “If you need anything, just give me a shout.”

“Um, how?” It wasn’t like we had exchanged numbers.

He hooked a thumb toward the cabin next to mine. “I’m your neighbor.”

“Right.” I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t pieced that together already. Maggie had mentioned that my neighbor’s name was Nate and that his family owned a ranch. It was ridiculous that I hadn’t put together that the man walking me home was that same Nate. “I guess I’ll probably be seeing you around then.”

“If I’m lucky,” he said with a wink. “Good night, Madison.”

He had no business being so good at winking. Especially not when I was already a goner for those gray eyes when they were doing nothing at all. “Good night, Nate.”