Zack, page 23
CHAPTER 2
Trinity MacKenna peeked through the bedroom’s filmy curtains and stared out into the drenched December evening. Goose bumps pebbled her skin, the colorful glow of Christmas decorations on each of the power poles somehow mesmerizing her.
The sight brought back countless memories of her childhood, of celebrating the holidays with her sister, Skylar, and of her parents before their mother died.
There were some not-so-happy times after cancer stole their mother away from them. Then there had been some worse times in her teen years when she tried—and failed—to live up to her beautiful, popular, older sister’s reputation and successes, but Trinity preferred to think about joyous days, or at least the warm and happy moments.
Below the B & B, the door of a classic pickup truck swung open, and Trinity watched as a man climbed out. In a fluid athletic motion he put on a dark cowboy hat and shut the door of the truck. With his long black duster swirling around his legs, he looked dark and dangerous, like an Old West gunslinger who’d come to town to track down his prey.
The man tilted his head up, his face shadowed by the cowboy hat, and for a moment she could have sworn he was looking right at her. It was as though he could see through the curtain and straight through the tiny dress her friend had talked her into wearing. Trinity’s heart pounded and heat swept across every curve and swell of her body.
She swallowed hard, knowing she needed to back away from the window, to break the electric current that seemed to connect her to the mysterious cowboy, but she couldn’t move.
“Trinity, are you ready to come downstairs and join the party?” Nevaeh’s voice sliced through that charged connection, snapping Trinity’s attention away from the man and to her friend.
“Just about.” Trinity cut her gaze to Nevaeh, her gorgeous friend who was peeking through the bedroom door. “I need to fix my hair and that should do it.”
Nevaeh came in, her blue evening dress shimmering in the light as she shut the door behind her with a thump. “Here, let me help.”
“Are you sure?” Trinity moved away from the window and to the old-fashioned vanity mirror. “You already have guests.”
“These people are party veterans.” Nevaeh—whose name was “heaven” spelled backward even though she liked to tell people hell forgot to come looking for her—gave Trinity her locally famous grin. “They’ll amuse themselves.”
“Thanks.” Trinity frowned at her reflection while she yanked down on the very short lipstick-red dress. “But this thing is ridiculous on me.”
Nevaeh rolled her eyes. “You look fabulous.”
Trinity cut her friend a skeptical glance. The darn dress barely covered her ass, and her nipples poked against the silky material like mini-torpedoes, especially after her sort-of-encounter with Mr. Tall-and-Gorgeous Cowboy when she caught sight of him through the gap in the curtains. The neckline plunged halfway to her belly button, showing the full curve of her breasts from the inside for cripes sake. “I can’t wear this to your Christmas Charity Extravaganza, Nev. They’ll think I’m a high-class call girl.”
“Hey, with this bunch, you could make a fortune.” Nevaeh’s grin was mischievous in her reflection.
Trinity turned from the mirror to glare at her best friend and pointed to the three-inch heeled sandals on her feet. “And where did you find these? If you had a better memory, you’d remember I’m a bit of a klutz.”
“You’re not a klutz. Well, maybe you used to be.” Nevaeh’s blue-green eyes glittered mischief. “And I’d say that dress was made for you. Those long legs, cute little butt...”
Trinity snorted. “Stop looking at my butt.”
“Can’t help it.” Nevaeh backed up, propped her hands on her full hips as she checked out Trinity’s figure. “I just can’t get over how much you’ve changed in the last four years. No more glasses, and you’re so... tiny. I didn’t even recognize you when you first came to the door, even though we talked on the phone through every five-pound increment. Those pictures you e-mailed me don’t even come close to doing you justice.”
With a self-conscious smile, Trinity studied her best friend since her first year at Cochise Community College, and on up through their fourth year at the University of Arizona.
Before Trinity had taken off for Europe, she and Nevaeh had been tighter than sisters... certainly closer than Trinity had been to her real sister, Skylar. Those last few years, anyway, when Skylar’s heart was broken, from her breakup with Zack, she just stopped talking to everyone—even the little sister who needed her more than anyone.
“It’s all still kind of weird to me.” Trinity raked her fingers through her hair as she spoke. “Having IntraLASIK performed on my eyes was the best thing I’ve done for myself.” She smiled. “Other than losing those ten dress sizes, that is.”
Nevaeh tilted her head. “And you took it off in a great way. Healthy eating, all that kickboxing. You really changed your habits. Your whole life. Sweetie, you’ll never be Meaty MacKenna again.” Trinity shrugged and tried to smile again, but that old nickname stabbed deep. God, how she hated the mention of it. It was one reason she had ditched her first name, Madeline, the minute she left home and started going by her more unusual middle name. A clean break. Leaving behind that life, that sadness, this place...
“That’s my goal,” she said, feeling more absurd than ever in the tiny dress. “All the exercise makes a world of difference for me.”
“And what a difference.” Nevaeh grinned. “Can’t wait for our old classmates to get a load of you now. They’ll flip—never mind all the major money of Douglas and Bisbee that’ll be at this party.”
“You’d think I’d be used to it.” Trinity smoothed her hands over the silky material of the dress and glanced down at her hips. “I’ve never had hip bones—well, not that I could ever see.” She cut her eyes back to Nevaeh and pointed to her own shoulder. “And look at this. Shoulder bones!”
Nevaeh laughed and hugged Trinity, her friendly embrace and soft baby powder scent bringing back memories of their college days. “I’m so proud of you, Trinity.” Nevaeh pulled away and smiled. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve always been gorgeous. But now... wow. You’re a knockout.”
“Yeah, right.” Trinity turned back to the mirror and pushed her strawberry blond hair on top of her head to see if it would look better up, and frowned at her reflection. The row of gold hoop earrings down her left ear glittered in the room’s soft lighting. While she was in England, just to be different and a little quirky, she’d had five piercings done on her left ear, with only two on her right.
It felt like a step out of Skylar’s shadow, and a big leap away from the shy, awful days of Meaty MacKenna.
It’s old stuff, Trin. Grow up.
But coming home again...
Yeah. Coming home brought back the specter of that quiet, hurting large girl who barely made it out of Arizona alive.
Truth be told, if Trinity hadn’t been changing jobs, and if Skylar hadn’t e-mailed her to tell her about the rustling troubles at the MacKenna ranch, she never would have come home.
Since she got here and found out the rustling problem was over, Trinity still hadn’t been able to bring herself to call Skylar or see her. After a combined ICE-DEA operation, Skylar and the Flying M were safe again—but the place didn’t feel safe to return to Trinity in so many ways.
Trinity knew she needed to force herself to visit her sister, but it felt so horribly much like stepping back in time, like surrendering all the progress she had made in life.
Trinity sighed. “Skylar’s always been the beautiful one in the family. The thinnest, the smartest—even the best barrel racer.”
“Being a rodeo queen doesn’t make Skylar MacKenna royalty,” Nevaeh said, looking more serious than Trinity had seen her since she got back to town. “Let me take you downstairs, and we’ll see who gets the royal treatment from every eligible male in the room—and half the ineligible ones, too.”
Nevaeh slapped Trinity’s ass hard enough to make her jump.
“Hey.” She rubbed her stinging butt cheek with one hand and glared at Nevaeh over her shoulder. “You’re not acquiring an ass fetish, are you?”
Shaking her head, Nevaeh scooped up a gold hairclip from the antique vanity table. “Sooner or later, you’ve got to stop comparing yourself to your sister. Now sit.” Nevaeh placed her hands on Trinity’s shoulders and firmly pushed her down onto the bench in front of the vanity mirror. “Look at all you’ve accomplished.”
Trinity shrugged. “No big deal.”
Nevaeh narrowed her gaze at Trinity’s reflection. “Graduated with honors from U of A. Hired by Wildgames—only the best software company in the world. Never mind jetting all over Europe and shooting up the corporate ladder. Hell, you practically ran Wildgames’s software development until they got bought out last month—and DropCaps Digital snapped you up with a giant bonus and a month off.”
She gathered Trinity’s hair into the clip and didn’t even stop for a breath. “And don’t forget the best part. You’re still dating an English god.”
Trinity knew better than to interrupt Nevaeh on a rant, even to tell her she wasn’t sure about her long-distance relationship with Race Bentham. Her friend barreled along like a boulder rolling downhill when she had a point to make, and she’d freak if Trinity mentioned she might be dumping a handsome, wealthy businessman with a Ferrari and a way-hot British accent.
“And now you look incredible,” Nevaeh finished as she fluffed the soft cloud of curls left out of the clip. “Like you walked out of Cosmopolitan.”
Trinity couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiastic support. “It’s funny how confident and successful I’ve felt since I left home.” Her smile faded a bit. “Until my airplane landed in Tucson. Now... I don’t know. Time warp. I feel like I’m the old Trinity instead of the new Trinity.”
“Close your eyes.” Nevaeh held up the hairspray can.
Trinity obeyed and held her breath as the spray hissed and a wet mist surrounded her. When she heard the can clunk on the dresser, she opened her eyes again and saw Nevaeh’s reflection. She had her arms folded, her blue-green gaze focused on Trinity in the mirror.
“You know what I see?” Nevaeh asked.
Trinity gave her friend an impish grin as she waved away the lingering smell of melon-scented hairspray. “A redhead in a too-small red dress with no bra?”
“Turn.” Nevaeh didn’t even crack a smile as Trinity slid around on the polished bench to face her friend.
“Don’t tell me.” Trinity scrunched her nose as though she was seriously considering Nevaeh’s question. “A girl with strawberry blond hair and freckles?”
“I see the same Trinity MacKenna that I’ve known and loved—only with bright, beautiful wings.” Nevaeh crouched so that she was eye level with Trinity and rested her hands on the bench to either side of Trinity’s hips. “Honey, you’ve always been a butterfly. You just finally had a chance to come out of your cocoon.”
Warmth rushed through Trinity and she bit the inside of her lip before saying, “You’re wonderful, you know that? You always know the right things to say.”
Nevaeh adjusted the spaghetti strap of Trinity’s dress, a no- nonsense look on her stunning features. “Hush up and get that tiny ass downstairs. It’s time to soar, Ms. Butterfly. Besides, I want to see which of my moneybags charity donors falls all over himself first.”
Read more of Luke here!
ALSO BY CHEYENNE MCCRAY
(in reading order)
~Romantic Suspense~
“Armed and Dangerous” Series
Zack
Luke
Clay
Kade
Alex (a novella)
Eric (a novella)
“Sworn to Protect Series”
Exposed Target
Shadow Target coming 2023
Lethal Target coming 2024
Moving Target coming 2024
“Deadly Intent” Series
Hidden Prey
No Mercy
Taking Fire
Point Blank
Chosen Prey
“Recovery Enforcement Division” Series
Ruthless
Fractured
Vendetta
~Contemporary Cowboys~
“King Creek Cowboys” Series
The McLeods
Country Heat
Country Thunder
Country Storm
Country Rain
Country Monsoon
“Riding Tall 2” Series
The McBrides Too
Amazed by You
Loved by You
Midnight With You
Wild for You
Sold on You
“Riding Tall” Series
The McBrides
Branded For You
Roping Your Heart
Fencing You In
Tying You Down
Playing With You
Crazy For You
Hot For You
Made For You
Held By You
Belong To You
“Rough and Ready” Series
The Camerons
Silk and Spurs
Lace and Lassos
Champagne and Chaps
Satin and Saddles
Roses and Rodeo (with Creed McBride from “Riding Tall” Series)
Roses and Rodeo (with Creed McBride)
Lingerie and Lariats
Lipstick and Leather
Save by purchasing Boxed Sets
Riding Tall 2 Box Set Volume One
Amazed by You
Loved by You
Midnight with You
Riding Tall 2 Box Set Volume Two
Wild for You
Sold on You
Riding Tall the First Boxed Set
Includes
Branded for You
Roping Your Heart
Fencing You In
Riding Tall the Second Boxed Set
Includes
Tying You Down
Playing with You
Crazy for You
Riding Tall the Third Boxed Set
Includes
Hot for You
Made for You
Held by You
Belong to You
Rough and Ready Boxed Set One
Includes
Silk and Spurs
Lace and Lassos
Champagne and Chaps
Rough and Ready Boxed Set Two
Includes
Satin and Saddles
Roses and Rodeo
Lingerie and Lariats
Armed and Dangerous Box Set One
Includes
Zack
Luke
Clay
Armed and Dangerous Box Set Two
Kade
Alex
Eric
~Romantic Suspense~
Deadly Intent Box Set 1
Hidden Prey
No Mercy
Taking Fire
Deadly Intent Box Set 2
Point Blank
Chosen Prey
Recovery Enforcement Division: the Collection
Ruthless
Fractured
Vendetta
~Paranormal Romance~
“Dark Sorcery” Series
The Forbidden
The Seduced
The Wicked
The Enchanted (novella)
The Shadows
The Dark
Cheyenne Writing as Debbie Ries
~Shawna Taylor Cozy Mysteries~
Cooking up Murder
Recipe for Killing
Pinch of Peril
Delicious Death
Taste of Danger
ABOUT CHEYENNE
Cheyenne McCray is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who grew up on a ranch in southeastern Arizona and has written over one hundred published novels and novellas. Chey also writes cozy mysteries as Debbie Ries. She delights in creating stories of suspense, love, and redemption with characters and worlds her readers can get lost in.
Chey and her husband live with their two Ragdoll cats, two corgis, and two poodle-mixes in southeastern Arizona. She enjoys going on long walks, traveling around the world, and searching for her next adventure and new ideas, as well as hand embroidering crazy quilts and listening to audiobooks.
Find out more about Chey, how to contact her, and her books at https://cheyennemccray.com.
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Cheyenne McCray, Zack
