Tempted by Trouble

chapter TWENTY-ONE


“Cory?” No answer.

Matt stood in the entryway of his mother’s house. He reread the message that Cory had written. “Jeff Welch, Hilton Gardens Airport, noon.” It was nearly eleven.

“Hey, Mom?” he called out. “What’s this message doing here?”

“Since your cousin is home with the baby, all the office calls are forwarded here.”

“No. Did Cory give this message to someone? Who’s it for?”

His mother picked up a pair of reading glasses and focused on the message. “I have no idea. And she’s gone.”

“Who?” His stomach hit the floor. “Who?”

“Calm down. Cory went into town. She’ll be back.”

“Did she go shopping with Carolina?”

“No. She said she had a meeting. Probably one of her friends. But no, Carolina hasn’t been here since this morning.”

“Wait, Carolina was here? When?”

“Early. Came in for a cup of coffee and then left. You’re acting odd, Matt. Just a day to go and you’re doing fence maintenance. You couldn’t assign that job to one of the men. She’s getting on a plane and this is how you’re handling it? Are you scared? I thought you were made of tougher stuff.”

“I’m not scared. Things have gotten complicated.” He could barely speak, let alone explain his current state to his mother. Carolina and shopping. Carolina and this message. Shit. He had to go the hotel to see for himself.

“I can see you’re upset. Don’t run away. Stand your ground. The details will work themselves out. Matt, follow your heart.”

“Okay, Mother. I understand.” He kissed her and left. He had to get out of the house before he tore out his hair. He wanted to punch something or better yet, someone. Jeff Welch would be a good start.

Matt stopped by the office. This was insanity. F*ck, if she wanted to be with her old boyfriend, going to the hotel and confronting her when she was on her way back to Miami would do what — assuage his sense of pride? Not his dignity. If he found her with Welch, he was going to do many things, none of which would be classified as dignified.

He stormed into the office. Christ. The air smelled of her. The whole room would be a reminder of her. He laughed, almost bitter for the tearing of his insides.

Matt swiveled his head at the sound coming from his desk. A buzzing. His eyes narrowed and he saw it. Picking up her cellphone, he knew to read her text messages might mean never looking her in the face again. He pressed the icon and read. F*ck. F*ck. F*ck.

The message had no caller identification. He didn’t need one. “Meet me at the Hilton Garden, Room 516 noon. I’m sorry.” It had come in early this morning. Motherf*cker had covered every base. He bet if he opened her email, not that he could, he’d find a message from the son-of-a-bitch.

Crap. How messed up was Welch? Then he thought if he’d somehow lost Carolina, wouldn’t he be just as tenacious in trying to get her back. F*ck, he didn’t trust Welch, not when he’d asked Carolina to suck-it up and deal with the man professionally. He’d all but demanded she get over the past to help Evermore. What if Welch got her alone in his hotel room? A blast of heat flew up his neck. He knew what he’d do if he was in Welch’s shoes. He’d be ruthless and do whatever it took to win her back.

You’re so f*cked.

“Hey, you up for lunch?” Miller had entered the office.

“Not today. I’ve got an errand to run.”

“How’s it going with the cattle? Heard Carolina’s really knocked it out of the park with the breeding information. She’s — ”

“Sorry, Miller, I’m late and need to run. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Yeah, what about tonight? Is there a dinner? Are wives invited?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

He exchanged looks with his brother. Miller’s eyebrows raised, yet he kept his thoughts to himself.

Getting behind the wheel, Matt’s mind tumbled over and around his next step. He arrived at the hotel, not even remembering anything except the various scenarios he’d played over and over in his mind.

The guest registration desk was empty. He hit the bell a couple of times.

“Yes, sir. Checking in?”

“No. I wanted to see if a guest was still here. Welch in room 516?”

“Mmmm. Mr. Welch. I can place a call to his room if you’d like to speak with him. Elevators are down the hall, to the left.”

Matt rubbed his forehead. He tried to swallow, but his throat refused. He’d better get to getting. No point in standing around. Once this was over, he’d feel better than this f*cked-up state.

The hall was quiet, but he could hear a squeaking noise. He didn’t see a cleaning woman or housekeeping. The sound got louder. Followed by the sound of muffled banging.

He stood before the room door, and held up his fist to pound. The sounds were coming from inside the room. He tried the knob. It was locked.

It was then he heard a woman’s voice. He distinctly heard a female voice cry out. Shit. His instinct was to kick the door down.

No. F*cking no. The sounds were not in pain. The thudding and squeaking and moans and cries … He turned heading toward the stairwell. There was no turning back. He didn’t need to see her. Not again. Never again. Not tonight. Not ever.

• • •

There was only one place he could go. Up into the hills. Pine-covered hills thick with trees and no one for miles. There was a small log cabin he frequented when he wasn’t fit for company.

If he stayed around the ranch, he’d unleash his fury on the first person he came across and that left only one choice. He packed up his horse. Bedroll, food pack, water, and gun. That was it. He’d go find a hole and crawl inside, for however long it took to become human again.