The Trouble With Love (26 page)

When he got in the right frame of mind, he'd write her that damned letter
and tell her that
, but Cole was about at the end of his rope...as much as he loved the infuriating woman.
  Luke finally came jogging up the sidewalk, and put his arm around Cole's shoulder when he got there. 

"Let's
go
g
et you an attitude adjustment, buddy
...Cassie said she'll come pick us up if we get too rowdy," he told him then laughed.  "We're not leaving here until you have a smile on that ugly mug."
  Luke walked to the door and held it open, "After you, buddy.
..and leave Sabrina at the door.
"

"Yes,
sir
," Cole said sarcastically then swung himself t
hrough the door on his crutches, and headed for the bar.  The place was packed tonight and he saw a lot of people he knew.  A lot of them came up to talk to him
,
when they saw him on crutches, and he had to relate the story of how it happened.  He didn't mention Sabrina's name...just made it sound like a normal part of his job as Sheriff, and
they just took it at face value. 
He and Luke finally made it to the bar and ordered their beers then took them to a floor level table by the dance floor.
  With his leg, he couldn't sit on the bar stools.

Picking up his beer, Cole downed half of it then looked at Luke.  "Can't believe Cassie gave you a yard pass," he said then chuckled.

"She said if I didn't get you in a better mood,
she
was gonna shoot you," Luke told him then shrugged.  "Thought you had enough holes in you."

Cole frowned knowing he'd been a bear lately, and that he'd taken it out on Cassie
a lot
, because she'd been the unlucky one to be in the orbit of his sour mood
.  She was a great woman, and perfect for his friend.  He didn't want to cause friction between them.  It was time for him to go home.  "I think I'll be heading home tomorrow.  Thanks for letting me stay at the Double B to get back on my feet."

"You sure?" Luke eyed him with concern, then told him, "You're welcome to stay with us...I was just kidding about Cassie shooting you."

"Yeah...it's time," Cole said and picked up his beer and finished it off.  He held the bottle up to Luke and asked, "Think you can get me another one of these?"

Luke nodded
and
got up,
then
Cole
yelled at
his
bac
k, "Second thought
,
make it two
, Slick
!"  Cole frowned at the empty b
ottle and peeled at the label. 
Someone sat in the chair next to his and rubbed up against him and Cole raised his eyes and found beautiful dark-haired Candy sitting next to him.  Tonight
,
she was in cowgirl mode and had on a hot pink, low cut western shirt tied right under her impressive breasts.
  His eyes automatically traveled there appreciatively then back to her green eyes. 

"Howdy, sugar," he said then smiled
remembering the night Luke had picked her up to taunt Cassie
.

Cassie had been livid and Cole thought she was going to strangle Luke before they left the restaurant
.  I
nstead she got mad at her then
fiancé
, James Barton, and dumped him on the
old
Farm Market road for the coyotes to eat.

"Hi, sugar...you sure are looking good tonight," she purred then noticed his crutches leaning on the chair on his other side and gasped, "Oh, no!  I was going to ask you to dance...but you hurt yourself?"

"Yeah, leg's messed up. Sorry, darlin'," he drawled and then told her, "I'd have loved to dance with you...save me one for next time."

"You know it...I should have talked to you instead of your friend last time," she said looking around to make sure nobody could hear her and whispered, "He was strange."

Cole hooted and told her, "You remember that tall blonde at the next table?"
 
Candy shook her head and frowned.  "She's his wife now. 
They weren't married then, but h
e
was pretty hung up on her, and she was out with another man.
."

Candy gasped and said, "No, shit?"

"No, shit...that's why he was drinking and acting so stupid.  He's really a good guy, my best friend."

She laughed and said, "Well, that explains a lot then, thanks for telling me," she leaned in and put her full lips against his, and slid her arms around his neck.
  He put his hand on her waist and let her kiss him, but
when he closed his eyes he s
aw another beautiful brunette.  When her hand moved up his thigh, Cole pulled back and put his hand over hers.  "
I'm going to tell you straight up, darlin'.  I'm in the same frame of mind tonight that Luke was in the night he picked you up...it'd probably be better if you stay away from me tonight."

She smiled at him, "If he'd have been honest with me that night, I could have made him feel better...I can make you feel better, if you let me."
  She took his cell phone off the table and put her number in there, then handed it back to him.  "In case you change your mind."
  Cole looked down at it then set it down on the table.

Luke made it back to their table with the beers and stopped short when he saw Candy and frowned.  "Stay away from him, sugar or you're gonna have a repeat of that night I was an obnoxious asshole."

"Yeah, Cole just explained what was up with you that night. Congratulations," she told him and laughed.  "Glad things worked out for you...but you
were
obnoxious."

"I'm truly sorry for that, darlin'," Luke told her then sat their beers on the table.  "I'd ask you to dance to make it up to you, but  my wife would kill me," he chuckled.

Cole nodded and grinned,
"He ain't kidding...she's mean."

Luke snorted, "She's not mean...she just doesn't take my crap.  Calls me on it every time."

"Sounds like a woman I'd like," Candy said and stood up then finished, "I think I see my next dance partner.  Ya'll take care."  She wiggled her fingers and winked then sashayed off toward a cowboy at another table who was smiling at her.

"Whew..." Luke said and sat down across from Cole.

"Yeah, no shit," Cole agreed and lifted a beer to his lips and took a swig. 
Seeing all the couples dancing made Cole miss Sabrina
, and
memories of the night he'd brought her here dancing
flooded into his brain
.
  She'd been so fucking hot that night, she'd almost scorched his hair.  His fingers itched to feel her skin under them
again
, to stroke her curves and hear her moan his name.  He lifted the beer with a shaky hand and took a deep swallow to wash away those thoughts.
  They weren't going to get him anywhere tonight...maybe not any night.
 

Damn, he needed more beer,
Cole
thought, and picked up the spare one that Luke had s
e
t on the table.  "Thanks for making me come tonight..." he told Luke and took
lifted it to his lips.

"Just returning some favors, man.
...
"

***

Sabrina paced the floor of the bedroom in the house
where
the FBI had brought her and Gabe to hide them
,
until the trial of the leaders of the gang they'd taken down.  She'd positively identified the man she'd seen coming out of the lean-to to meet with the guy in the truck about the weapons
from a photograph
s
they'd shown her
.
  She had
also identified the men who had loaded the truck.

T
he
y still didn't know who the
man
who'd driven the truck and paid for the weapons was
though
.
Although, s
he'd
given them a pretty good description of the guy,
tall and skinny,
dark hair, lighter skin, and
non-H
ispanic
, a
long with
the license plate number on the truck, it
hadn't
help
ed
.
  They'd even had her work with a sketch artist to come up with a composite.

Sabrina's
stomach was tied in knots and she didn't know how much more of this isolation she could take.
  She was worried about Cole...and missed him.  As soon as she cooled off, she'd regretted what she'd said to him before she left.  He was just being the abrasive,
domineering
alpha male he was, the man that she loved in spite of that, and she could have handled it a lot better than she had.  And now she couldn't tell him
that
.

Gabe had even told her she'd handled the situation poorly, that Cole had just been worried about her working for the FBI...and he was too.  The more she'd thought about it, she wasn't so sure that's what she wanted either.  Not because she was afraid of the job, but because she wouldn't be able to have a life
outside
of her job.  That's what she was trying to get away from.  Her life in
Phoenix
had been all about her job, and she realized now how empty it had become.  Cole had made her realize that.  And now she'd probably alienated him for good.

They'd taken her and Gabe's cell phones
,
before they brought them here
.  The agents guarding them weren't going to let her use their phone
either
, she'd already asked and they said no.
Sabrina
had to get to a phone, so she could make sure
Cole
was okay.  He was probably a mess, and he was hurt...because of h
er...and not just physically.
  If he was hurting half as much as she was right now, then he was in pretty bad shape emotionally.

Sabrina decided to go downstairs and test the water with the agents.  See what their plans were.  Maybe if she waited until they went to sleep, she could sneak out...or get her hands on one of their phones.  That would be the ideal solution, that way she wouldn't have to leave the house.

Nonchalantly, Sabrina
went downstairs and
walked into the kitchen
then
smiled at the black agent sitting at the table working a crossword puzzle.  She didn't see the other guy around anywhere and asked
nonchalantly, "Where's your partner?" then
walked to the cabinet to pull down a glass.

"Same place as your brother--in bed.  Same place you should be," he said seriously then looked back at his puzzle.

"You guys sleep?" she snorted, "I thought you were like robots or something and just changed your batteries every once in a while."

"Har
,
Har," the man said snidely
not looking up at her
.

"So, I'm not a comedian...sue me," she said and laughed
.  Her eyes snagged on h
is cell phone laying on the table by his hand
,
and
h
er palm itched she wanted it in her hand so badly.
  Since her stealthy ninja skills were nonexistent though, she'd just have to scratch her palm and keep thinking.

Maybe the sleeping guy would be easier.  "So where do you guys sleep?  In a closet hanging by your fee
t
?  A coffin maybe?"

The guy put his pen down and folded his arms on the table to give her the stink eye. "You on something?" he asked her, his eyes angry and his lips flattened.

"What? Do
they put your personality in a lock box when they give you a badge at
Quantico
?"
  Just one more reason she didn't need to be working for the FBI.