Some Like It Hot (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 1) (14 page)

A
s far as
Sam was concerned, the only good thing about the chili contest that day was that she got her car back from the tow truck company. They were nice enough to drop it off in the parking lot at the fair, so she worked on cleaning out her area in between cooking and serving chili. It was the last day, and she had to remove all her own stuff by the end of the day. Since she was an adept planner, she’d managed to make it so that she had just enough ingredients to ride out the day with very little left over.

She closed up a little early, pulling her cooler out through the back of the tent and rushing to the parking lot, eager to get out of there fast so she could avoid running into Nick. She'd debated confronting him, but was too embarrassed. She didn’t need the drama. It was fine with her if she got out of town without ever seeing him again.

Luckily, Tessa had been out on a late-night trail ride and Sam didn’t have to face her when she got home. She didn’t know what she was going to tell her friend now. Tessa would be disappointed that she wasn’t staying, but she couldn’t possibly stay—not with what had happened. Hopefully, Tessa would understand.

Sam had spent the night cooking the best batch of chili she could make and by the time she slipped into bed she was exhausted. Almost too tired to cry herself to sleep. Almost.

The next morning, she woke early and showered. She couldn’t drop the chili off until later on, so she had nothing else to do but pack. She still wanted to win the contest but planned to be on her way out of town when the judging happened. If she won, Tessa could mail the check to her.

She dragged out her suitcase, opened it up and stared inside. Empty. Like her life was now. Funny thing, when she’d come to Sweetrock, she couldn’t wait to get back home to Boston. But in the past few days, she’d come to love Sweetrock. She’d come to think of it as home.

I will not cry.

Grabbing a pair of jeans out of the bureau drawer, she wadded them up and slammed them into her suitcase. It was so unlike her normally organized manner of packing that it jolted her a bit. At the same time, it felt good. She needed to get some frustration out. She tore an ivory silk blouse off the hanger and threw that in, too. A pair of shoes went in next. She threw them on top of the silk blouse, not caring that the dirt on the bottom of the shoes smudged onto the expensive silk.

“What are you doing?” Tessa stood in the doorway, her red curls mussed from sleeping, wearing a fuzzy pink bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee in her hand. She regarded Sam with curious, concerned eyes.

“I’m packing.”

“I can see that. Why? I thought you were staying.” Tessa handed the cup over to Sam, who took it gratefully. The warm bitter taste matched her mood.

Sam choked back a sob. “I just can’t stay after what Nick did to me.”

Tessa sat on the bed, a look of confusion on her face. “What are you talking about? What did Nick do?”

Sam collapsed down on the bed beside her and nodded, unable to get the words out through the rock lodged in her throat.

Tessa rubbed her back. “I can’t imagine what could be so bad. Did you have a fight? If you did, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. We can fix it. Please tell me what it is. I’ll help.”

The dam broke inside Sam, and the words tumbled out in a jumbled rush. In between sobs, she told Tessa everything. How she’d thought Nick might have been about to ask her to stay and work in the restaurant. How much she
wanted
to stay with him and even how she’d told her parents the lie about buying a foreclosed restaurant so that they’d approve of her moving to Sweetrock. And then of how devastated she was when she’d discovered Nick had another girlfriend waiting in the wings and couldn't even tell her to her face.

“I feel so embarrassed. I guess I didn't mean as much to him as he did to me.” Sam sniffled.

Tessa pulled a tissue out of her pocket and handed it to Sam. “Wait a minute. This doesn't make any sense. I
know
you mean a lot to Nick. There's no other girl. Why do you think that?"

“But, he wouldn’t even talk to me yesterday. He acted mad and…”
Had he acted mad, or was it just her imagination?
“That girl said she was meeting him and she didn't like the menus.”

“So what? Some people resist change and the menus are change. You're not still touchy about that Lizette person, are you?” Tessa said. “And what girl?”

“That blonde. She was in the bar last night. I saw them together at the fair and I’m sure she was going to meet him there. You might have seen her in the bar, too.”

“The one with the long blonde hair and the turquoise cowboy boots?”

“Yes! You suspected there was something going on with them, too, didn’t you?” Sam felt vindicated. At least Tessa had noticed, and she wasn’t just acting like a crazy person.

Tessa cocked her head and put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, I noticed something going on, too. Nick has been talking to her. Because he’s been trying to fix her up with Cash. That’s why she was at O’Toole’s last night. She was there to meet Cash. Remember? He was there, too.”

Sam stared at Tessa incredulously, her brain unable to process the information. Nick wasn’t hooking up with the blonde. He was trying to fix her up with Cash. Was she really still touchy about Lizette? So touchy that she'd mistakenly thought Nick was trying to dump her for the blonde?

Sam’s world crashed. If all that was true, she’d just made the biggest mistake of her entire life.

“See, it was all a big misunderstanding,” Tessa said cheerfully. “You can call Nick, and you guys can talk it out. And then you can stay.”

Panic shot through Sam. She couldn’t possibly talk to Nick. Not after what she’d thought of him. She’d screwed up big time, and now it was too late.

Why would he want a jealous, neurotic girlfriend who didn’t even trust him?

“Tessa, I can’t do that. It’s too late.”

“Too late? Don’t be a stubborn idiot. You and Nick are a perfect match. I’ll call him right now.” Tessa pulled her phone out of her robe pocket and then frowned down at it as she thumbed in the code to read the full message that was apparently causing her frown.

“No, please don’t. I can’t face him.”

“Huh?” Tessa looked up, clearly distracted. “Well, then, what are you going to do?”

“The only thing I can think of to make it right.”

* * *

T
essa stared
down at her phone. The text from Rena sounded urgent. There was some sort of trouble with Nick at The Chuckwagon. Tessa didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that whatever was wrong with Nick had something to do with Sam.

She debated telling Sam, who had pushed past her into the kitchen and was fiddling with her chili, but in Sam’s state of mind, she knew it probably wasn’t the best time. It would be smarter to head on out to The Chuckwagon and see what was going on. With any luck she could hear Nick’s side, have a chat and get the two of them back together before lunch.

She didn’t dare tell Sam that, though. Best to give her some time to cool down and think things over. Tessa headed out the front door, leaving Sam to her own devices in the kitchen.

She hopped in her car and sped over toward The Chuckwagon. She knew if she could just get the two of them together they would realize that they were meant to be together. It was as plain as day to her. Couldn’t they see it, too?

Though she only knew Sam’s side of the story, she was sure that whatever Nick was upset about was just as much of a misunderstanding. And Tessa couldn’t just stand by and not try to make things right between them. If Nick and Sam were too pig-headed to get together and talk things out, then she’d have to help them along.

Despite everything that had happened to her, Tessa still believed in true love. Not for herself, though. Her one chance at true love had died when her childhood sweetheart, Derek, had betrayed her trust. Her fragile heart had been damaged beyond repair, and now she would never be able to trust anyone enough to fall in love again.

But Nick and Sam still had that chance. And they had that spark that all great loves were born from. Tessa had recognized it the first time they laid eyes on each other. And she’d be damned if she’d stand by and let her two best friends lose their chance at love because they were both acting like stubborn idiots.

N
ick shoved
the stainless steel salad prep station against the wall, smashing it into the side of the fridge. He didn’t care how much noise he made. He was on a mission to put the kitchen back the way it had been and obliterate any evidence of Sam.

It didn’t matter that the new arrangement had made it more efficient and faster to get food out. He didn’t want anything to do with any ideas from that lying, backstabbing cheater.

Turning his attention to the pantry, he swiped his arm across the spice containers, sending them scattering on the floor. Then he picked them up and tossed them onto the counter on the opposite side of the room.

“What are you doing?” Rena stood in the doorway, a look of confused concern on her face.

“I’m putting this place back the way it should be.”

“But Sam arranged it this way on purpose. I thought it was working out.”

Nick whirled on her. “Nothing is working out when it comes to Sam.”

“Oh. So, that’s what this is about.”

Nick noticed her thumbing something into her phone. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve called for reinforcements. Should be here any second.” Rena leaned back and looked out into the restaurant.

“Reinforcements? What are you talking about?” Nick pulled a stack of pots out from under a cabinet and tossed them on the floor with a clatter.

“Obviously, something’s gone wrong, and you need help. You can’t just be in here trashing the kitchen.”

“The hell I can’t!” But Nick stopped his tirade and ran his hand through his hair. Rena was right. It wouldn’t do any good to trash the kitchen. That would only hurt business, no matter how good it felt to work his frustrations off.

“Okay, what’s the problem?” Now Tessa stood beside Rena in the doorway.

What the heck?

“What brings you here?” Nick asked.

Rena and Tessa exchanged a glance. Right, Tessa was the reinforcement. Rena new that Nick and Tessa were close. This wasn’t the first time she’d texted one or the other to smooth over rough times. When their parents had died, Rena had called Tessa in to pick up Nick’s spirits many times. Nick’s demeanor softened. He owed a lot to Tessa. She was a good friend, though right now her motives were a little suspicious.

“What’s going on? What’s really wrong?” Tessa persisted.

“You don’t already know?” Nick couldn’t help his snippy tone. Sam was staying with Tessa. How could she not know what the woman had been up to?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nick, but I think whatever you think is happening is really just a misunderstanding.”

“What did she tell you? That she was going to help me out? Well, whatever she told you, it’s a lie. I’m not selling my restaurant to her.”

“Selling?” Tessa made a face. “Who said anything about selling your restaurant? Sam doesn’t have any money to buy The Chuckwagon.”

“Oh, no?” Nick’s voice rose despite his efforts to remain calm. “What if she thought she could get it cheap because it was being foreclosed on?”

“Foreclosed on?” Alarm flashed through Rena’s eyes.

Shoot! Why did he have to go and say that? Now he had Rena all worried.

“Wait a minute. I know what this is about” Tessa said. “There’s no foreclosure. Sam only made that up to tell her parents.”

“What are you talking about?” Nick asked.

“Sam was hoping you would ask her to stay and work at the restaurant. She was trying to pave the way with her folks. They can be rather…difficult…and Sam doesn’t like to disappoint them.” Tessa winced. “So she made up a little story. She told them that she was buying a restaurant cheap out here. One that was in trouble and being foreclosed on. But that was just a made-up story to get her parents to buy into the idea.”

Tessa leaned against the door jamb and crossed her arms over her chest. “But how would you have known about that anyway?”

Nick’s heart fluttered as he let Tessa’s words sink in. Sam really hadn’t been scheming to take his restaurant away? She really didn’t know about the foreclosure? At least Tessa’s story had wiped the worry out of Rena’s eyes. Rena had believed it, and so did Tessa. And if it was true…

Dammit! He’d been such an idiot!

Memories of standing behind Sam and eavesdropping on her conversation came crashing back to him. He hadn’t even heard the whole thing, just snippets. And then he’d jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

Why hadn’t he just asked Sam?

But he hadn’t. Instead, he’d turned and ran like an insecure jerk. He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain.

And now he’d screwed up everything. He’d ruined his chances with Sam. She’d never want him back after the way he acted.

“But I thought—I mean, I heard her say…”

Tessa’s stern look stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t have any excuses.

“So, what are you gonna do?” Tessa asked. “She’s fixing to leave town.”

Nick’s heart jerked. “She’s leaving?”

“She was packing her bags when I left her at my place. Had her chili cooking and ready to go.” Tessa walked over and put her hand on Nick’s arm. “Look, I know she cares about you, and I know you care about her. Don’t mess this up. You guys have a chance at something special. You can’t let that slip away.”

Hope surged through Nick.

Tessa was right. He had to find Sam. He had to see if there was a chance that she'd stay. His eyes flicked to the chili bubbling in the crockpot. Maybe if he hurried, he could make things right and catch Sam before she left town.

“She’s still going to enter her chili for the judging?” Nick asked.

Tessa pressed her lips together. “Well, I guess so. She was tending to it when I left.”

Nick rushed over to his crockpot, dumped one last ingredient in then unplugged it from the wall.

“Where are you going?” Tessa asked.

But Nick was already running out the door with the crockpot in hand. “I’m going to drop this off and then get Sam back.”

He ran to the truck and raced off toward the fairgrounds. With any luck, he could catch Sam at the judging tent. But when he got there, she was nowhere to be seen. And her crockpot was sitting on the table waiting to be judged.

She’d already been there and left!

Nick tore out of there like a bat out of hell, heading to Tessa’s. It was the only other place she could be. But as he drove down the long dirt road to the small house, his chest grew tighter and tighter. The driveway was empty.

Sam’s car wasn’t there. She’d already left town.

He was too late.

Nick’s heart crashed. Sam was already gone. She hadn’t waited around for him, and he couldn’t blame her. She probably left in a hurry because she never wanted to see him again. Why would she want to be with a jerk that eavesdropped on her conversations and then didn’t even give her enough respect to ask her what they were really about? He didn’t deserve Sam.

Nick drove on numbly, barely seeing the road ahead of him. He didn’t care about the chili contest. Didn’t care about The Chuckwagon, either. At the end of the road, he took a left, heading to the one place where he always knew he could seek solace.

The one place where he knew he had a friend that would never let him down.