Nicole Edwards - Travis

Oh, shit.

“Hey, E.” Zane’s voice jarred the image from his mind, and Travis glanced up to see their brother Ethan walking toward them. Beside him was the guy who’d taken Zane’s place as the mechanic for Walker Demolition.

“Slummin’ again, Trav?” Ethan joked, slapping Travis on the back as he moved around, squeezing between V and Zane. If Travis didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn Ethan was trying to get as far away from Blake as he possibly could.

Considering the rumor Travis had heard, he would have expected the two men to be all over each other. Then again, Ethan was a private person, much like Travis, never hinting at his relationships – current or former – so it made sense that he was trying to put some distance between them.

Didn’t mean Travis liked the idea of his little brother hiding.

Fuck. Like he had room to talk. He was a damn hypocrite is what he was.

“How’s it going, Blake?” Travis asked, not wanting to chat, but figuring it was the polite thing to do and much better than letting his own thoughts take over. Since Blake was technically employed by Walker Demolition, he sort of had no choice. Besides, if he didn’t, Ethan would rip him a new asshole as soon as the opportunity arose.

“It’s goin’,” Blake answered. “What brings you down here?”

Shit, what was with everyone and their questions? It wasn’t like Travis didn’t hang out at Moonshiners at least once a week, sometimes more. Granted, he’d been avoiding the place for the last few weeks because he’d preferred to brood in privacy.

“Just checkin’ on the young’n.”

Zane obviously knew Travis was referring to him, which earned him a one finger salute. Of course, he returned it with a grin.

“All right, boys,” V said, grinning as all four of them looked her way. “Who’s my next victim?”

Travis settled in for the duration. No sense in going to the house. It was empty. No one waiting for him there. In fact, the only thing that might possibly greet him were the divorce papers he was avoiding like the plague.

“I’m in,” Travis barked, downing the rest of his second Scotch before heading for the pool table.

♂

Gage picked up his cell phone.

Put it down.

Picked it up again.

Fuck.

As he pushed his truck up to eighty, Gage forced himself to keep his eyes on the road, to ignore the inner voice telling him to call Kylie. He was just a few minutes outside of Killeen, and it would be so easy to just veer off at the next exit and head her way. If only he had a valid reason to show up on her doorstep one more time. Since she hadn’t called him one single time in the two months after he’d walked out of her house with his heart in his throat, he didn’t think it would go over well.

But Gage wanted to talk to her. Hear her voice. See her smile and listen to the sweet southern cadence of her voice. God, he missed her so much, and he knew he had absolutely no right to. He just couldn’t get his mind off of her. No matter how hard he tried. He didn’t expect to see or hear from Kylie again, but he couldn’t help but wish something would happen that would give him one more opportunity to try and make it up to her. Despite his better judgment, hope still sprang eternal in his fucking chest when it came to her. Hell, if he didn’t know better, he’d think he had actually fallen for the woman.

But she wasn’t the only person he’d been thinking about. And as much as it pissed him off, Gage wanted to see Travis, to hear his voice and know that the man might harbor some sort of feelings for him, even if it was hatred. Feeling ultimately alone in the world, Gage was more than willing to believe someone was thinking about him, wishing that he was there.

Only he didn’t believe it.

Nor did he deserve it.

He should’ve been worried about facing the music and explaining himself to those who knew him best. The very same people he’d lied to all these years about who he really was. At this point, his secret life had been shattered and he had nothing else to hide from anyone. Not only was Chance Reed officially dead and gone, his separate life as a cop had also been revealed after he apprehended Jake Sanders months ago. And he couldn’t even blame Travis for that one. If he had to make the choice all over again, although he hadn’t been given much of one at the time, he’d have stepped in to ensure Zane was protected the same as he had before. Only this time, he wouldn’t need Travis to threaten him with bodily harm.

Fucking asshole.

Taking the ramp that would take him from I-35 just outside of Austin to Coyote Ridge, Gage turned his truck toward home. Pressing his foot on the gas, he pushed the truck up to eighty five, just a few miles over the speed limit on the toll road that would lead him right where it all started. Part of him was anxious to get back, to take some time to think and maybe decide what he wanted to do next.

If he was lucky, he’d find Kaleb first and have a chance to explain himself. He wondered whether Kaleb would forgive him. Then, after they had that little chat, Gage hoped like hell Kaleb would understand Gage’s need to back out of their little arrangement.

That was one thing Gage had promised himself. Until he could hash out what he was feeling for Kylie and Travis, he wasn’t going to engage in any more threesomes. Even if he didn’t stand a chance with either one of them, Gage wasn’t going to risk pushing them any farther away.

No. He’d much rather be alone. And yes, he was insane to wish that there might be a chance of either one of them wanting something from him, much less both of them at the same time. He just knew that the chances of that happening were about as good as the weather man predicting an ice storm in hell overnight.

Thirty minutes and twenty five miles later, Gage realized there would be no getting lost in anything other than his own thoughts and perhaps a bottle of whiskey. The deserted parking lot of Walker Demolition told him just what he was to expect as far as a welcome home party. Putting the truck in Park and shutting off the engine, he stared at the small office and the empty parking lot that surrounded it.

There was no one there to greet him, whether they were happy to see him or not. Even the call he made to Kaleb a few minutes before went unanswered, leaving him to his own devices.

He was tempted to drive over to the farmhouse just to walk around, but he knew that would only bring up more memories of Kylie and he didn’t need any help in that department. He couldn’t blame her for being angry with him, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about her. Craving her.

Gage backed out of the gravel lot, turning his truck toward the main road. He just wanted to drive for a little while longer. Maybe before he ran out of gas, he’d come up with somewhere to go. If not, he’d have a long way to walk.

At least he would have something else to focus on if that was the case.

♀

Kylie was fresh out of the bath when there was a knock on her front door. She quickly glanced down, knowing the plush white robe probably wasn’t the most presentable outfit to answer the door in, but she couldn’t figure who might possibly have come over now. She’d already had her fill of unexpected visitors when Travis showed up, which meant she wasn’t likely to see him again today.

Then again, maybe Gage…

Wow, she’d become quite the… Nope, not going there. Kylie laughed without mirth. A thin veil of shame suddenly came over her as she realized her thoughts were currently shifting between one man and another.

Shunning the thought, she knew there was only one way to find out. Padding across the house barefoot, Kylie pulled her robe tighter around herself and tightened the belt before peering through the glass in the front door from across the room. Who she saw looking back at her had Kylie running, no longer worried whether her outfit was appropriate or not.

“Kylie!” The squeal that greeted her sounded so much like it had when they’d been little.

Kylie braced herself as her sister threw her arms around her, hugging her tight to her.

“Oh, my God, Jess. What are you doing here?” Kylie asked, taking a step back when Jessie released her from the bear hug.

“You were expecting me, silly,” Jessie grinned, running back to the porch and grabbing her suitcase before wheeling it inside.

When Kylie went to shut the door behind her sister, Jessie stopped her short. “Wait, I’ve got more.”

Kylie smiled. Of course she did.

“Let me get dressed, and I’ll help you,” she offered, turning toward her bedroom.

“Definitely get some clothes on, but I’ve got this.” Jessie grinned. “Although you could find something cute and take me out for a drink. I need one.”

Well, that made two of them, Kylie thought as she headed to her bedroom. Her sister was there. And quite frankly, she couldn’t have had better timing.

It didn’t take long for Kylie to scan through the items in her closet. She pulled out a sheer, white, sleeveless blouse and a bandeau top to go beneath. Black denim shorts from her dresser completed the ensemble and Kylie hurried to pull them on. Her hair was piled on top of her head, so she removed the clip, letting the long, wavy strands fall down her back.

“What? No makeup?” Jessie asked as she waltzed into the bathroom behind Kylie. “Not that you need any.”

Kylie frowned. She didn’t usually wear makeup. In her line of work, with a uniform of ratty t-shirts and worn jeans or shorts, she generally opted for pulling her hair back in a ponytail. Simple. Easy. Nothing a little sweat would damage.

“Mascara and gloss,” Jessie said with excitement. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

Kylie stared at the woman in the mirror as she waited for Jessie to retrieve what was probably an oversized travel case with more makeup than the Macy’s cosmetics counter. Not that Jessie needed it either, but the woman was usually all dolled up. Even now, after three hours on the road, she looked like she just stepped off of the cover of a magazine.

“Here,” Jessie said when she came back, thrusting a small cosmetics bag toward her. “What? That’s just the one I carry in my purse.”

Of course it was.

Kylie didn’t argue. She retrieved the items she needed and proceeded to doctor her face. To her surprise, the mascara made her eyes pop, and the sheer gloss gave a pretty shine to her otherwise boring lips. Not bad, if she did say so herself.

“So where are you taking me?” Jessie asked as they went out through the garage, using the keypad bolted to the exterior frame to close the single door. She didn’t park in the garage, but rather than carry house keys or an oversized purse which would only contain things she didn’t need, she opted to use a code and go in through the garage.

“I was thinking Applebee’s,” Kylie said as she moved around to the driver’s side of the truck.

“Ummm, mind if I ask you something?” Jessie asked when they both climbed inside. Kylie didn’t waste time before starting the engine and cranking up the air conditioner. The harsh June temperature threatened to melt what little makeup Kylie did have on.

“What’s that?” she asked as she peered in her rearview mirror before backing down the short driveway.

“How old are you?”

As Kylie flipped the gearshift into Drive, she peered over at her sister. “What? You know exactly how old I am.”

“I mean, Applebee’s? Seriously?”

“Well, there’s not much here, and they’ve got a bar,” Kylie explained as she pulled down the narrow street lined with large towering oaks.

“Umm, they’ve also got creepers, Kylie. Take me somewhere fun.”

Kylie didn’t know anywhere fun. It wasn’t like she did much more than work, rarely getting out of the house. Her fun was generally limited to the grocery store once a week to buy milk and creamer for her coffee.

“Hey, aren’t you working on a house?” Jessie asked after they’d driven for a few minutes.

Actually she wasn’t, but Kylie had a good idea where Jessie had heard the news. A couple of months ago, back when she was getting to know Gage, she’d told their father about the project. When she’d been giddy with excitement. Before… Well, before her world came crumbling down around her.

“Show me,” Jess added before Kylie could respond.

“What?”

“You heard me. Dad said it was only about an hour away. Take me there. I want to see what you’re working on.”