slept with his brother. That’s not the kind of indiscretion a man can forgive or forget . Ever . “I’m willing to bet you didn’t sleep with your wife’s sister.”
“No, but I did a lot of things some may consider unforgiveable. Spent our grocery money on drugs, pawned her wedding ring…” He sighed. “The list goes on, I’m afraid.”
“Okay, you did some lousy things, I’ll give you that.” Drake found himself smiling at the man when he realized he was no longer a threat. “So, how’d you get clean? What was the turning point for you?”
“I found out my wife was pregnant with our son. I didn’t want to be a father my son would be ashamed of. My father was a good man. He died too young, but I was so proud of him. I wanted my son to feel that way about me. So…” He took a deep breath. “I went through an intensive in-patient treatment program and it changed my life.”
“I’m glad it all worked out for you,” Drake said, wishing Cassidy had the same success with the treatment program he’d paid for.
“I went back to school and finished my degree.” He took a sip of his drink before adding, “Fortunately, my beautiful wife understood when I told her I wanted to open a non-profit center to help people overcome drug addiction. It doesn’t pay much, but I love what I do.”
Drake let his words sink in before he asked, “Is that how you met Cassidy?”
Phil slid off his stool. “I think I’ll let her tell you that story, if she’s so inclined.” He reached in to his pocket and threw a bill down on the bar.
Reaching for his arm, Drake asked, “Why did you come here tonight?”
“I thought Cassidy needed me.” He looked up at the stage. “But I can see she doesn’t. She’s going to be just fine.”
“She called you?”
“Yes,” he said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. “Seeing you again left her feeling a little shaky.”
Given the way Drake had attacked her, he could understand why. “Tell me something. Is she clean now?”
Phil pointed to the woman commanding center stage. “You tell me.” He looked at Drake a long time as though he was considering how much he should divulge. “Keep in mind things aren’t always as they seem, Drake. Sometimes you just need to dig a little deeper to get to the truth.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?”
“Figuring that out is going to be your journey, my friend.” Phil smiled. “Godspeed.”
Chapter Three
Getting through that set, knowing Drake was sitting there, watching her, waiting for her to mess up so he could ridicule her, was one of the hardest things Cassidy had ever done. But knowing it was her only opportunity to prove to him that he hadn’t won, she poured everything she had in to every song she sang.
She smiled at the cowboys trying to get her attention as though she was having the time of her life. She’d almost managed to keep the smile firmly fixed in place until one of those cowboys blocked her path to the dressing room.
“Why don’t you take a whirl ’round the dance floor with me, ya sexy little thang?”
He wasn’t asking; he was telling, and his firm grip on her wrist told her that he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. Not wanting to start trouble and lose the only decent gig she had left, she smiled politely and tried to shake him off. “Maybe some other time.”
“Now sounds like a good time to me,” he said, hauling her toward the dance floor.
She tried digging her heels in, but it was no use. At barely five feet tall and one hundred and five pounds on a good day, this average-sized man was the one calling the shots in a physical battle. “I said I don’t want—” She ran straight into his back when he stopped suddenly, taking a step back. As soon as she peered over his shoulder, she could see why he was backing down.
Any man in his right mind would run when his rival was six feet three inches, two-hundred-and-forty pounds of rippling muscle that
“No, but I did a lot of things some may consider unforgiveable. Spent our grocery money on drugs, pawned her wedding ring…” He sighed. “The list goes on, I’m afraid.”
“Okay, you did some lousy things, I’ll give you that.” Drake found himself smiling at the man when he realized he was no longer a threat. “So, how’d you get clean? What was the turning point for you?”
“I found out my wife was pregnant with our son. I didn’t want to be a father my son would be ashamed of. My father was a good man. He died too young, but I was so proud of him. I wanted my son to feel that way about me. So…” He took a deep breath. “I went through an intensive in-patient treatment program and it changed my life.”
“I’m glad it all worked out for you,” Drake said, wishing Cassidy had the same success with the treatment program he’d paid for.
“I went back to school and finished my degree.” He took a sip of his drink before adding, “Fortunately, my beautiful wife understood when I told her I wanted to open a non-profit center to help people overcome drug addiction. It doesn’t pay much, but I love what I do.”
Drake let his words sink in before he asked, “Is that how you met Cassidy?”
Phil slid off his stool. “I think I’ll let her tell you that story, if she’s so inclined.” He reached in to his pocket and threw a bill down on the bar.
Reaching for his arm, Drake asked, “Why did you come here tonight?”
“I thought Cassidy needed me.” He looked up at the stage. “But I can see she doesn’t. She’s going to be just fine.”
“She called you?”
“Yes,” he said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. “Seeing you again left her feeling a little shaky.”
Given the way Drake had attacked her, he could understand why. “Tell me something. Is she clean now?”
Phil pointed to the woman commanding center stage. “You tell me.” He looked at Drake a long time as though he was considering how much he should divulge. “Keep in mind things aren’t always as they seem, Drake. Sometimes you just need to dig a little deeper to get to the truth.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?”
“Figuring that out is going to be your journey, my friend.” Phil smiled. “Godspeed.”
Chapter Three
Getting through that set, knowing Drake was sitting there, watching her, waiting for her to mess up so he could ridicule her, was one of the hardest things Cassidy had ever done. But knowing it was her only opportunity to prove to him that he hadn’t won, she poured everything she had in to every song she sang.
She smiled at the cowboys trying to get her attention as though she was having the time of her life. She’d almost managed to keep the smile firmly fixed in place until one of those cowboys blocked her path to the dressing room.
“Why don’t you take a whirl ’round the dance floor with me, ya sexy little thang?”
He wasn’t asking; he was telling, and his firm grip on her wrist told her that he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. Not wanting to start trouble and lose the only decent gig she had left, she smiled politely and tried to shake him off. “Maybe some other time.”
“Now sounds like a good time to me,” he said, hauling her toward the dance floor.
She tried digging her heels in, but it was no use. At barely five feet tall and one hundred and five pounds on a good day, this average-sized man was the one calling the shots in a physical battle. “I said I don’t want—” She ran straight into his back when he stopped suddenly, taking a step back. As soon as she peered over his shoulder, she could see why he was backing down.
Any man in his right mind would run when his rival was six feet three inches, two-hundred-and-forty pounds of rippling muscle that