Page 100 of Ridin’ Dirty

“No relationship is perfect. No man is, either. You and Pistol don’t have to be doomed to the same fate.”

“Maybe not, but she has a point. I’m not new to this world. I know the difference between a wife and an ol’ lady.”

“Given the circumstances, I know it might not feel like it, but there’s no rush. You two have time. You seem to be enjoying it, and that’s a good thing.”

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to get back to that place of being deliriously happy.

Try as I might, I couldn’t help but ask, “And what happens if he changes his mind about me? Then what? Will I be like her?”

Viv propped her elbow atop the bar, leaning against her arm as she studied me intently. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, and I felt myself growing anxious before a small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Sure,” I answered with a shrug. “I came into the diner looking for work. You hired me on the spot. Still don’t know why, but I’m glad you did.”

“You were recommended.”

“What?” I shook my head in surprise. “I don’t⁠—”

“Got a call from an old friend. Heard a blue-eyed beauty with a rebel spirit and a hell of a wild streak might be comin’ to town. If I saw you, promised I’d take you in.”

For a moment we stared at one another, Viv giving me a chance to work it out.

I knew almost instantly there was only one person she could be talking about, but it didn’t make sense that she’d recommend me for anything. Winnie was kind, but she wasn’t stupid and she never bullshit anyone. We weren’t friends. Neither had I ever given her a reason to think fondly of me. I never went after Bull, but that was because while she might have been kind, his ol’ lady exuded a quiet ferocity I knew better than to tempt.

“I don’t understand,” I murmured, unable to make it make sense.

Viv laughed quietly, then leaned toward me and spoke softly. “You’re not as mysterious as you think you are, Ly. You don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, but it’s not hard to see in your eyes. Not to anyone who’s paying attention.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Not that it mattered.

Viv wasn’t finished.

“Everyone has a past, babe. Some more sorted than others. Whoever you were, she shaped who you are now. And who you are now matters more than who you were then. But more than any of that, who you want to be matters most.

“I won’t claim to know the depths of your heart—but to the naked eye, it seems who you want to be is his. And I don’t blame you.”

Viv reached over and gave my wrist an affectionate squeeze before she straightened and grabbed her beer.

“Don’t let anyone else write the ending to your story. Trust your gut and let it play out on its own.” With a bow of her head, she ordered, “Come on. Hazel might act like a bitter old broad, but she means well, and she needs her posse tonight.”

While I still wasn’t sure if I considered Hazel a friend, I followed Viv’s lead. It felt a bit like penance—for all the times I’d been the reason fueling another woman’s pain. And even though it didn’t seem like much, I was ready to pay up.

An hour later, when my man and his dog walked through the clubhouse doors, I had my reason why.

I watched him as he cleared the doorway, stopped, and scanned the room. When he found me, he halted his search, and it took everything in me not to jump to my feet and race across the distance between us like a puppy.

It was impossible to deny the pull I felt toward him. My past aside, and his as well, I wanted Viv to be right. Charity, too. So what if life had thrown us together into a pressure cooker and forced us into marriage. And who cared how low our chances of success might be. We were giving it a go, which was all any of us could do.

When he jerked his chin at me, silently beckoning me to him, I didn’t overthink it.

No sooner was I in reach than he had hold of the back of my neck, pulling me into his side as he descended for a kiss. He took from me until he was satisfied, and I was almost disappointed when he had his fill and lifted his face away from mine.

“Let’s ride,” he muttered so only I could hear.

I gave him a little more of my weight, tightening the grip I had on the front of his kutte.