Page 11 of Cowboy of Convenience
"I wouldn't waste your breath." Grady angled Evelyn away from the man watching her a little too closely. "Come on, Sweetheart. We should get to bed."
It took everything he had to control his body's visceral reaction to the statement. To the images it invoked. None of them were appropriate for polite company and every single one brought an amount of guilt he wasn't quite sure what to do with. He'd been alone for a hell of a long time. No woman in her right mind would put up with the life he was forced to lead. And while he understood, it left him facing all the shit coming his way alone.
It also left him strung tight and a little too eager for the opportunity to spend some time with a woman. But not just any woman.
He could have had the blonde back at The Creekery. Could have easily been over her now, rutting out his loneliness and frustrations. But the second he saw Evelyn, the opportunity left so much to be desired that he walked away.
And thank God he had. Evelyn needed him and he could sure use the distraction this whole mess was offering.
She didn't put up any resistance as he led her up the stairs and onto the porch, waiting as she unlocked the door before following her in. He stayed on the stoop just long enough to stare Sasha down where he still stood in the driveway. Then he smiled. "Have a good night."
Sasha's expression was murderous as Grady closed the door, flipping the deadbolt into place before turning to find Evelyn dropped onto the sofa, her head in her hands.
"What in the hell am I going to do?" She asked, probably not expecting him to have an answer.
He did. He always had answers. Always knew how to handle every situation that came his way.
Well, he used to.
"What you’re going to do is go to bed." Grady tipped his chin toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "You’ve had a long night. You need to sleep." He was careful to soften the edge of the trait that served him so well, making sure his words were gentle and calm. He was dealing with Evelyn, not a criminal or a bullheaded ranch hand.
But he was still dishing out orders, no matter how candy coated he tried to make them, and he’d learned the hard way that women didn’t particularly like taking orders outside of the bedroom.
Evelyn's eyes lifted to his. She looked so different from her normal, confident self. She looked sad. Broken. Defeated. "Yeah. Sleep is probably a good idea." She stood up, her smile weak. "You can go. I guess I'll tell Sasha the truth tomorrow."
Grady snorted. "Why would you tell a fucker like him the truth? He doesn't deserve it and it’s sure as hell not his business who you’re with." Grady shook his head. "My shift ended while we were driving back from Cross Creek. I’ll let Linda know I won’t be back at the station tonight." He sat on the couch and went to work untying his shoes. "We can decide what to do next in the morning." Again he was telling her how it was going to be.
And again Evelyn didn't argue. "Okay." She turned and started down the hall, pausing to peek back his way. "If you change your mind, I won't judge you."
He watched her go, surprised that she clearly expected not to find him on her couch in the morning.
He might be prone to telling people what to do and taking shit over, but he wasn't the kind of man who snuck out of a woman's house in the middle of the night. Hell, he did everything he could to get himself an invitation to breakfast the next morning.
Not that he anticipated that’s what would happen in this situation. As much as he hated to admit it, he was serving as nothing more than a convenient way to keep a clearly unbalanced ex-boyfriend at bay. And considering he knew how dangerous unbalanced exes could be, he was happy to provide his services.
Especially since they served his own needs.
Grady called Linda, letting her know where he was if she needed him, before ridding himself of everything but his undershirt and pants and stretching out on the couch. He didn't expect sleep to come easily, but he must've drifted off, because before he knew it, he jolted awake.
The first streaks of sunlight were peeking through the windows, signifying another morning in his Groundhog Day of a life, but that wasn't what woke him up. It was the woman staring at him, her lean body clad in a cropped silky robe clinging to every dip and valley.
"You're still here." Evelyn breathed the words out, her voice soft and a little husky from sleep.
Grady shifted on the couch, sitting up as he found his bearings. "Of course I'm still here. I told you I would be."
"I just didn't expect—" Evelyn swept a lock of dark hair behind one ear, shifting a little on her bare feet. "I just didn't really expect you to stay."
Grady stood up, needing to stretch his stiff body. "Are you used to dealing with men who don't do what they say they will?"
Evelyn’s lips pressed together. "I'm not really used to dealing with men at all."
Grady tipped his head toward the front window as he moved toward the hall. "Fancy pants across the street begs to differ."
He shouldn't be bothered that Evelyn had a past. Everyone did. But that guy? Her taste in the opposite sex was more questionable than his was back when he had the time and inclination.
Grady shut himself into the bathroom, doing his business and rinsing his mouth out before going back to the living room. Evelyn stood at the front window, lifting one of the wood slats of the blinds and peeking out.
"Anything interesting out there?" Grady collected his keys and went to work reassembling his uniform.
