Page 9 of Cowboy of Convenience
She helped Muriel into the front seat, passing off her bucket before turning to find Grady loading everyone else into the back. She offered him a smile. "Thank you."
"Of course." He jerked his chin toward where his cruiser was parked a few spaces down. "Give me just a second. I'll follow you and make sure everyone gets home safe."
She wanted to tell him he didn't have to do that. She would be fine all on her own. It was what she'd been trying to prove her whole life. That she was capable of choosing her own path. Making her own choices. Building a future that might not look the way other people hoped, but could actually bring value into the world.
And every fucking time, she failed.
But no one who mattered was here to watch her fail, and she was tired. Ready to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head, and forget this night even happened. "That would be great. Thank you."
Grady's gaze was intense as it fixed on hers. "You don't have to thank me, Evelyn. I'm always here. I can help you whenever you need it."
She waited for him to say it was because it was his job, but the words never came out of his mouth.
His full, perfectly proportioned mouth. A mouth she was currently staring at and wondering what exactly it was capable of.
Grady was probably a dirty talker. At least he was in every fantasy she'd had about him.
He didn't use his handcuffs though. Not ever. If he wanted to hold a woman in place, all it would take was one of his wide palms gripping both wrists above her head and she wouldn't move a muscle.
Probably wouldn’t want to.
Evelyn's eyes jumped to meet Grady's. "We should go."
She spun away and rushed to get in her car, slamming the door before turning over the engine.
She needed to get the hell away from Grady. Screw needing to forget about the night, she needed to forget about him. Forget about the way he’d so easily claimed she was his without hesitation. Forget about the way she kind of liked it.
Evelyn pulled away from the curb, her belly fluttering a little when a set of headlights filled her rearview mirror.
Proving she was capable of being independent had been her top priority, and rightfully so. But it left her occasionally feeling isolated and a little lonely. A little like there was no one she could really rely on. And tonight, even if it was only for a little bit, it felt good to have someone in her corner.
Not that she would ever admit it. Probably wouldn't even acknowledge it in the morning.
Evelyn dropped Betty off first, making sure she was safely inside before moving onto the next drop off. Agnes also lived in town, so it took less than ten minutes to get her home. That left her with only the terrible twosome.
Gertrude and Muriel frequently stayed together, and tonight they were hanging out at Muriel's place out at Cross Creek Ranch, which was slightly closer than Gertrude's place up on the mountain. But still really freaking far away.
By the time she pulled in, Muriel was snoring in the front seat, barf bucket hugged to her chest, and Gertrude was scrolling her phone, cackling over TikTok videos in the back seat.
Parking in front of Muriel's little cottage and climbing out, she opened Gertrude's door, planning to get the easier of the two on the porch first. But while she helped Gertrude out, Grady appeared at her shoulder and collected Muriel, his voice soothing as he practically carried her up to the porch. She unlocked Muriel's door and helped both women in while Grady lingered, making sure everyone was safe before following her back out into the night.
A tiny bit of her was relieved this was the end of their crazy night together. Another, bigger part of her was disappointed. But that’s what her life was all about. Fighting her way through disappointment with a smile on her face. There was no one to complain to anyway.
She turned to Grady, keeping her eyes off the long, tempting line of his frame. "Thanks again for your help."
Grady shook his head. "My helping’s not done yet." He tipped his head toward her car. "I've gotta make sure you make it home safe too."
Her belly fluttered again, warming at his concern. No one really worried too much about her—for lots of reasons—and that was fine. Understandable even. Expecting more would be greedy, so she made do. Dealt with shit on her own while everyone else stood at the edges of her life, pretending they were part of it.
And that's what she should do with Grady. Shove him right back to the edge. Clear room so she could figure out what to do next.
"You act like you're thinking about it," Grady shook his head again, "but there’s nothing to think on. It's not up for discussion. I'm following you home. That's it."
Her belly flip lurched right into a thigh clench at the commanding tone in his voice.
Oh yeah. Grady was definitely a dirty talker.
Evelyn swallowed hard, trying to stay focused on what she was supposed to be doing instead of wondering what sort of naughty things might come out of his mouth when he came. "Then, thank you again. That's very nice of you."
