Brows furrowing, my defenses prickle. “It’s nine o’clock, which is hardly a time that qualifies as ‘the middle of the night’ and how do you know I’m a city girl?”
“The BMW.” He eyes my boots. “The heels. No one from around these parts wears high-heeled boots. They know they’ll land them in a puddle of mud or worse.”
“Worse?”
“Worse,” he confirms, but he offers no further details. If only my clients would do the same in a courtroom or mediation room, but they never do.
I don’t want to know what he means anyway, and I’m certainly not going to defend my heels that my ex didn’t deserve in the first place. Proven by the fact that he didn’t show up to actually notice the boots. He stood me up, because why wouldn’t he cut me one last time? “Are you always judgmental of people who are wet and clearly alone and—” I can feel the blood run from my face. “Can we forget I just said those words?”
He gives me a three-second deadpan stare before he says, “I think that’s a good idea.” And while his tone might be dry, even removed, I know that tone means he’s laughing inside. I know. I feel it.
“You’re laughing at me now?” I accuse.
“I didn’t laugh.”
“You laughed.”
“I don’t laugh.”
“You don’t laugh? As in ever?”
“It’s not my thing.”
“Everyone laughs,” I argue. “I know some real assholes and even they—”
“And to answer your question,” he says, cutting me off, “yes. I do judge everyone wet and alone in high-heeled boots on this particular road, at this time of night, which has happened all of one time. Now. So that means you. Where are you going anyways?”
I bristle all over again. “Why should I tell you where I’m going? What if you’re a serial killer?”
“Because even if I were a serial killer, I’m the only person you have right now. And if I know where you’re going, I can make sure you get there safely. And despite the boots and the mud puddle, I think you’re smart enough to know why you need me.”
I don’t know how he thinks he knows anything about me, but I’m done arguing. Safe sounds good. “Sweetwater,” I say. “I’m staying there for a few months.”
“Are you now?”
I frown at the odd reply that says a million words and yet says nothing. “Yes,” I confirm, giving him as little as he’s giving me.
“Who are you staying with?”
“Why do you assume I’m staying with anyone?”
“It’s a small town.”
“I rented a place.”
“For what?”
“To live,” I say. “Why else?”
“Huh. Okay. It’s a mile up the road. I’ll follow you to the edge of town.”
I frown. “What does ‘huh’ mean?”
“It means I’ll follow you.” He eyes my boots. “Need help to your car?”
“You’re an asshole, cowboy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, and I swear the corners of his lips just barely hint at a smile. His voice, however, is as dry and irritated as ever. “Need help or not?”
“No, I do not need help walking to my car”—I point—“that’s right there.”
“Suit yourself.”
I’m no longer fantasizing about a kiss but rather a stomp on his toe or a kick to his shin, which would most likely be more about my ex than him, and a bad idea. I charge toward my car and do so without falling, thank God. I open the door and turn to him. “Thank you very much for your help, because despite you being a judgmental asshole, cowboy, you saved me and didn’t kill me, and that makes you all right in my book.” I don’t wait for a reply. I climb into my car, and good grief, I splatter mud everywhere. The cream-colored leather seat is now a mess, as is my floorboard.
The cowboy, whose name I never got, is already in his truck. I pull out onto the road, and he follows behind me. With the rain in check, the drive is fast and easy. I reach the town’s welcome sign almost immediately, and just as immediately, the truck lights behind me cut around me and fade away. Gone. I sigh, a little disappointed for no good reason. I turn onto the country road that my GPS orders me to and drive down another winding road that is rough and bumpy, but thankfully without holes.
Finally, I’m parked in front of a cottage in the middle of nowhere with no cowboy to save me this time, but that’s okay. I’m saving myself. I’m climbing out of my own mud puddles, and I can do it without a cowboy with an attitude.
In fact, if I never see him again, it will be just fine with me.
Why did I even want that man to kiss me? I don’t know him. Then again, I didn’t even know the man who was in my bed for three years.
I may not kiss another man ever again. Nope. Never kissing a man again.
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ALSO BY LISA RENEE JONES
THE INSIDE OUT SERIES
If I Were You
Being Me
Revealing Us
His Secrets*
Rebecca’s Lost Journals
The Master Undone*
My Hunger*
No In Between
My Control*
I Belong to You
All of Me*
THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN
Escaping Reality
Infinite Possibilities
Forsaken
Unbroken*
CARELESS WHISPERS
Denial
Demand
Surrender
WHITE LIES
Provocative
Shameless
TALL, DARK & DEADLY
Hot Secrets
Dangerous Secrets
Beneath the Secrets
WALKER SECURITY
Deep Under
Pulled Under
Falling Under
LILAH LOVE
Murder Notes
Love Me Dead (July 2019)
Love Kills (October 2019)
DIRTY RICH
Dirty Rich One Night Stand
Dirty Rich Cinderella Story
Dirty Rich Obsession
Dirty Rich Betrayal
Dirty Rich Cinderella Story: Ever After
Dirty Rich One Night Stand: Two Years Later
Dirty Rich Obsession: All Mine
THE FILTHY TRILOGY
The Bastard
The Princess
The Empire
THE NAKED TRILOGY
One Man
One Woman (September 2019)
Two Together (November 2019)
*eBook only
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series.
In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is also the author of the bestselling LILAH LOVE and WHITE LIES series.
Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her on Twitter and Facebook daily.
Table of Contents
ABOUT ONE MAN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
&n
bsp; CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
MORE LILAH LOVE!
READY FOR A COWBOY ROMANCE?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR