Read Online High-Riding Heroes by Joey Light - Free Book Online Page B

had. He remembered expressly making sure this man had the instructions right. The fact that he had decided to take Nick under his wing and let him be as important as he felt he was was going to prove to be a mistake. He didn’t like Nick’s attitude but had been willing to give him a chance. That willingness was being sorely tested.

    www.samhainpublishing.com
    57

    Joey Light
    Victoria noticed the edge to Wes’s voice, and even though she had known him only a short while, she knew that wasn’t like him. He was in early from his date. Maybe things didn’t go well, she thought smugly.
    Wes shook his head. “Never mind, Nick. Ten is fine.”
    Victoria offered, “Nick, maybe you might find that making notes is helpful. I do.”
    Nick sat back in his chair and smiled at her. “Wes has a lot on his mind. He was just mistaken, that’s all. No big deal.”
    Victoria caught Wes’s eye. Instinct told her a man like him made darn few mistakes and would have been quick to admit it if he had.
    “I’m really tired, Nick. We’ll get into the repair list another time.” When she rose to leave, Wes got to his feet and Nick scrambled up.
    “Good night, Nick. Wes, if you’re going up, could you walk me to my door?”
    Victoria didn’t want Nick to and for some uneasy reason she felt he was going to offer.
    Wes moved to stand beside her and they both bid Nick good night.
    “We’ll get together tomorrow and go over the plans. We’ll have lunch. I’ll be free by then,” Nick offered, hurriedly, following them to the foot of the stairs.
    “We’ll see.” Victoria was glad when Wes took her arm and escorted her up.
    In front of her door, he merely tipped his hat and headed for his own room.
    Victoria watched him go. Something was wrong.
    “What’s bothering you tonight, Wes?”
    He was surprised by the genuine concern in her voice. With his hand on the doorknob, he looked back at her. “Thanks for asking, but I’m just tired. If you’re not going to use the bathroom right away, I will.”
    “No, go ahead. Don’t let Nick worry you. He’s okay.”
    58
    www.samhainpublishing.com

    High-Riding Heroes
    He walked back to stand a few feet from her. He caught the faint scent of something exotic as he drew closer. “Nick doesn’t worry me. I just wonder if he’s good for this town. Like you said, he takes all this to heart. I had decided to let him be my right-hand man, but if he can’t keep directions straight, it won’t work.”
    “That was very nice of you.” And it was. It warmed her heart to think that this tough, in-charge man would try to smooth Nick’s amplified ego, give him a chance to be what he wanted to be. She wanted him to know how she felt. “I think it might be just what he needs. Don’t give up on him right away. Give it a chance. I like the idea. Maybe it will fill a void the man seems to be nurturing.”
    Wes thought a minute. She might be right. It might be worth giving him the benefit of a doubt if just for her. It would be one less thing she had to deal with.
    Her eyes looked tired and she seemed much less the steel maiden tonight.
    Almost touchable. He leaned a little closer. “Good night.”
    The aura that she sensed surrounded Wes Cooper from the first moment they bumped into each other seemed to envelop her. Her biological perception seemed to overreact. In the dim light of the hallway, his dark eyes captured hers.
    His sensuous mouth was close. She had a fleeting picture of it coming slowly down toward her own. Drawing herself up to her full five foot five, she pushed the door open. “Good night, Wes.”
    He stayed where he was for a few seconds. One. Two. Three. Her mouth went dry. She cast him a quick smile and ducked into her room. It was another few seconds before she heard the sound of his boots on the floorboards as he moved back to his room.
    She sat on the bed. For the first time in years she let the loneliness that she had suppressed float to the surface. No matter how large