Chapter 15 #3
My heart squeezed, not in sadness, but from exploding with warmth. More tears hung in my eyes before falling down my cheeks.
Cash’s laugh was genuine as he shook his head. “What the hell’s wrong with you, girl? Why you cryin’ now?”
I shoved him, even as I laughed. “Fuck off.” Then after a moment another laugh bubbled up out of my chest. “I can’t believe you bit Bodi Johnson.”
“You know him?”
“I rodeo, remember?”
“Ah shit, yeah, I forgot.” He nodded. “But yeah, I bit him.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. I could just imagine a pint-sized Cash biting Bodi in a fight. “You fuckin’ heathen.”
He smiled even as he eyed me long enough to make me fidget under his gaze. My brows knit together in question.
“You’re good for Mav, you know that?”
The warmth in my heart spread through me at the mention of his cousin, but also a trickle of fear. Maverick was different than any other guy I’d ever known. Even before this shared trauma of the fire… things were different. And that scared me.
I didn’t do relationships. It just…it wasn’t my thing. But without even thinking about it, I could see potential for one with him.
The warmth won out in the end. “You think? Better than quote unquote, that Ashleigh bitch?”
Cash rolled his eyes, a scowl marring his handsome face. “Fuck her.”
“Harsh words.”
He pegged me with a hard stare, his hazel eyes looking more green in that moment than gold. “You ain’t met her.”
“Is she, like, his ex or somethin’?”
“She’s a snake if I ever saw one, that’s what she is. A goddamn cottonmouth ready to sink her fangs into him whenever he starts to get out of her reach.”
I frowned. Maverick didn’t seem like the type to play games. Probably wasn’t even capable of it. He hadn’t even realized I was flirting with him at first last night.
“What’d she do to him?”
He blew out a breath before running his tongue over his teeth. “She’s done so much I can’t even keep track anymore… The biggest stunt she pulled was this past Christmas.”
“What happened…if you don’t mind me askin’?”
He shrugged, hopping off the tailgate to pace back and forth.
“He proposed to her on Christmas Eve. She said yes, everythin’ was goin’ fine, but she got drunk at my parent’s Christmas party and made a fool of herself, then blamed Mav for it.
She stormed off, and he found her in the bunkhouse hookin’ up with one of the ranch hands… in Mav’s fuckin’ bed.”
I hated people like her. Cheaters deserved their own special place in hell, and people who fucked over nice people…I hated them just as much. And the fact someone could do that to Maverick… “What a fuckin’ bitch.”
He balked at my foul language, surprise brewing in his gaze for a moment before that familiar shit-eating grin lit up his face. “I knew I liked you.”
I smirked, appreciating the support. “You think Maverick would really take her back after that?”
“He was goin’ to!” Cash shook his head, grabbing for his rope once more. “She and him were talkin’ this past week. He wasn’t even supposed to go out with us last night. He was supposed to see her, but he caught her two timin’ him again.”
It felt like I got hit by a ton of bricks. “Oh…” Was that the only reason he’d kissed me last night? Because I was a rebound. “So, I was just a distraction?”
Realization dawned in Cash’s gaze and he shook his head emphatically. “Nah, Chey…it ain’t like that. I promise.”
“You sure about that?” I scoffed, a flare of anger sparking in my chest. I wouldn’t be someone’s sloppy seconds. I wouldn’t be the alternate. Never had. Never would.
Cash placed a hand on my shoulder, the one not bleeding, thankfully. “Maverick doesn’t play games like that. He wouldn’t have kissed you if he didn’t like you. Believe me.”
I chewed my lip, irrational fear warring with logic in my heart. I wanted to believe him. I think I believed him…but that doubt wouldn’t be squashed until I spoke to Maverick. And being that he wasn’t talking, I’d probably be waiting a while.
Why was I even upset about that, though? It’s not like we were together…
But I think he’d proven he wasn’t just trying to rebound with me. Besides, actions spoke louder than words. He’d run into a burning trailer to save my dog. And the way he’d kissed me last night. The way he’d held me until we fell asleep…
I sighed. “I shouldn’t even be worried about that right now. I’ve got bigger fish to fry with this whole fire situation.”
“You got any clue what you’re gonna do?”
I shook my head. “None. I’ve gotta call the insurance company, but I doubt I’m gonna get shit for the trailer. And until I can restock all my products and replace my printer, I’ve got no income.”
“Stay here ‘til you figure shit out.” He shrugged and moved away, rolling his wrist to flip his coils and open up his rope loop.
“I can’t impose like that on Charlie and Ryder.” I frowned, hopping down off the truck bed. “They just got engaged and have a baby on the way. Not to mention, Cason. They don’t need an extra person takin’ up room in their house.”
Cash went back to roping, swinging the loop over his head in three quick turns before throwing it over the plastic cow's horns. A perfect throw. “So, stay with me or Mav,” he said, turning to look at me. “Actually…maybe not me.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Why not you?”
“It don’t look good to have a girl already in the house when I bring another one home.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Jesus, Mooney.”
He shrugged, a smirk blossoming on his lips. He seemed a lot more like himself now. “Stay with Mav.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Might do you both some good.”
I rolled my eyes even as I bit back a smile. “You can’t just offer me up a place in Maverick’s house without even talkin’ to him.”
Cash rolled up his rope once more and readied it for another throw, bloody hand completely forgotten. “So go ask him. He ain’t gonna say no.”
“And what if he does?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Cash looked me up and down, that smirk still on his lips. “Then he’s a fuckin’ idiot and never deserved you in the first place.”