Chapter 5

FIVE

WAYLON

I stared at the man I'd just assaulted. My face still tingled from rubbing against his short beard, and the sweet coffee taste of him remained on my tongue. Silas didn't seem nearly as horrified by my actions as I was.

"I wish," he muttered, reaching down to adjust himself with his free hand, a move so distracting it took me a full second to realize he was reacting to my muttered Fuck . When I did, my face went fire hot.

"Okay, so you're on board with the, ah… gay thing . Check."

My heart couldn't find a steady rhythm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" I clamped my teeth closed and stood up straighter. "I didn't mean to just lay one on you like that with no warning."

Silas let out a laugh. "Mayor Fletcher, if you are ever inclined to lay one on me like that again, I do not require warning. I'm happy to have you prove your point orally anytime you'd like."

I let out an exhale that sounded a little like a laugh. At least he hadn't punched me. "Understood."

The moment stretched awkwardly. I wanted to kiss him again, to feel his hands on my ass and press my hardening dick into his. But I knew that would complicate an already fucked-up situation.

My attraction to him was throwing me for a loop, not because he was a man or for any of the reasons Silas had suggested, but because I'd never wanted anyone this badly before. It had come out of the blue and swarmed me like some kind of plague of locusts. I was mixed up and turned around, wanting to try things I'd never truly considered trying… and wanting to try them with the man I most needed to stay the hell away from.

Foster had been right. I couldn't risk losing the ranch. If Silas was willing to wait and end this sham of a marriage quietly and without fuss, I needed to stop rocking the boat.

"Maybe I should just… go," he suggested, peering at me.

I cleared my throat and tried to pull myself together. To act normal. And normal people didn't panic over a stolen kiss in an alley. "At least let me feed you first. You came all this way, and you were nice enough to go along with keeping things quiet."

He nodded and turned back in the direction we'd been walking. "So, ah… tell me more about this AdventureSmash thing. You mentioned it the other night, but I didn't realize what a big deal it was."

The change of subject was very welcome. "Yeah, so, it's a company that puts on outdoor adventure races all over the world. Mountain biking, rock climbing, white water kayaking… that kind of thing. It's like a triathlon in the wilderness. And with us right here at the eastern entrance to Yellowstone, we've got all the right resources to host one. Well, I like to think so, but I know the organizers have reservations about selecting us for one of their big races."

"What are their reservations?"

As we proceeded toward the cafe, I began to relax. Landing this event deal was a critical part of why I needed him to wait on divorce proceedings, so I appreciated his interest, even if it was only for the sake of politeness. "We need commitment from the state for more funding for our wilderness emergency medical response, including search and rescue. We have a team, but it's mostly made up of volunteers and cross-trained law enforcement and local healthcare personnel. Commercial flights into our private airport would help a ton, but that's probably not happening. Additional lodging would be better than what we have now, although I've got a potential investor lined up to build a new hotel. They'll only commit if we land the AdventureSmash deal."

"Does Majestic have a chamber of commerce?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. It's mostly a handful of busybodies with opinions." I explained the various aspects of the proposal and the town's varied reactions to it. "Some folks don't want the race here. They're afraid of too many tourists, potential spike in crime, traffic, stuff like that. But they don't seem to understand that the town's on the verge of bankruptcy if we can't get some money coming in."

Silas asked good questions. It was clear he was familiar with similar challenges involved in getting stakeholders on board before closing a major deal. He even had a few helpful suggestions.

Before I had a chance to ask him more about it, we'd arrived at the Love Muffin. Newly planted flower baskets hung from hooks on either side of the double glass doors, and wooden planters lined the front edges of the building. Sheridan and Aunt Blake must have been busy while I was gone.

JoJo Reynolds was unloading her two youngest kids from a minivan out front of the cafe when she spotted me. "Hey there, Way. Heard you were in Vegas with Eden this weekend," she said with a knowing smile.

I braced myself for the interrogation, but thankfully, I was saved when her son darted in front of an older man exiting the cafe, nearly causing him to trip. By the time I helped Mr. Miklos to his car and JoJo reprimanded the boy, I'd bustled Silas inside.

It was busy as usual for the weekday lunch rush. Judge Whiteplume sat at his usual table with our local insurance agent. Three ladies from the Lutheran church tittered at a table in the middle of the room while a booth full of older teens sat scrolling on their phones. Two guys I'd gone to high school with were sitting in a group of five or six construction workers most likely taking a break from the Stanner building job down the street, and my aunt waved her hands expressively while taking Brett Marsman's order at the long counter in the back.

All eyes turned toward us as the bell on the door finished jangling. Aunt Blake glanced over to see who'd entered, and when she recognized me, an unholy fire burned in her gaze.

My stomach dropped into my boots as the truth of my situation came crashing down.

I should have never brought Silas here.

Aunt Blake headed our way like she'd been shot from a gossip cannon.

"Waylon Fletcher. Tell me you didn't go to Las Vegas and get married."

The entire place went quiet like she'd just announced tonight's winning Cowboy Draw numbers. Blood began to roar in my ears, and my skin spontaneously began to leak sweat from all kinds of horrible places.

"Er… what?"

She was relentless. My father's sister was the oldest of four kids and didn't suffer fools or take anyone's guff. And she didn't give one single damn about airing all our family's dirty laundry in full view of the entire town. As far as she was concerned, everyone in Majestic was family.

"Your sister told me you were in Vegas this weekend, and then an outsider—" She nodded at Silas. "—no offense, sir, came around asking for directions to the mayor's office, and I said to Bo, I said, ‘You mark my words, that boy got married out there.' And I have to say your mama would scold you for not telling us, wouldn't she? But then again, I'm glad you've finally decided to settle down. Now, who's the lucky lady?"

I stared at her.

Silas shifted next to me. I glanced over at him, and in the split second I realized he was still holding my hat, Janice Godfrey, who'd walked in after us, gasped. "It wasn't a woman! It's gotta be that man standing next to him. Congratulations, sweetie!"

"N-no," I began, feeling my face heat at the lie. "See?—"

Aunt Blake laughed at Mrs. Godfrey. "Man? Honey, don't you remember him and Eden dating all those years? Way's not gay. If he was gay, I'd have expected him to join my Foster on those trips to the gay bars in Billings he thinks I don't know about?—"

"A-aunt Blake, that's not… Silas and I, we…" I stammered, wondering how this was racing out of control so quickly. Thankfully, my sister popped her head out of the kitchen.

Her eyes were creased in confusion. "Way? You did it? You married Eden?"

Mrs. Godfrey stepped up to Silas and patted his shoulder with her hand. "No. He married this man. At least…" She frowned. "Waylon, tell me you didn't marry poor Eden and then kiss this man only two days later in an alleyway?"

"Kiss?" my sister and aunt asked at the same time.

This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. I glanced over at Silas in hopes he'd have a solution to this horrific situation, but he was impossible to read. The man simply stood there, taking it all in like a silent damned observer, like he was waiting for me to tell him how to play this. He'd picked the wrong time to follow my lead, though, since I didn't have a lead to follow.

Mrs. Godfrey nodded. "I saw them kissing on the street less than five minutes ago. I didn't take Mayor Fletcher for a cheater."

"He's not a cheater," Sheridan snapped automatically. And, god, I loved her for that. She was as loyal as they came. She didn't deserve to think the worst of me.

"I didn't cheat," I said. "I… I didn't marry Eden." Truth. That was the truth.

Silas shifted closer, his arm brushing against mine. I wanted to go back to fifteen minutes earlier and change the chain of events, but even in the midst of my panic, there was a part of me that would have mourned the loss of the world's hottest kiss in that alternate scenario.

"But you didn't marry this man, either, did you?" Sheridan asked with a teasing grin, crossing her arms over her chest. She clearly expected the answer to be an unequivocal no .

The entire place was paying attention to the drama Aunt Blake had started. Judge Whiteplume would undoubtably find out about my marriage to Silas at some point, and I couldn't bear him knowing I'd lied about it to the entire town. All I could think was that my father had been a liar. The previous mayor had been a liar. If there was one thing I prided myself on, it was scrupulous honesty, regardless of the cost.

I felt my fingers go numb.

Silas turned to me and spoke too softly for anyone to hear. "It's okay."

I wasn't sure why he'd say that since none of this was okay, but I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. My heart galloped in my chest, and my boots felt rooted to the floor. "I… er… that is. Uh…" I pressed my lips closed. I'd never been a stammering fool. Waylon Fletcher was known for having confidence for days. If I didn't have it, I at least faked it.

"Yes," I said, suddenly knowing what I had to do. "Yes, I got married in Vegas."

I felt Silas shift again, only this time, he moved slightly away from me. I reached over and took his hand, squeezing hard in hopes he could interpret the warning in it. "I married this man. Silas C-Concannon." Thank god I remembered his last name after only a half beat of hesitation. "And, he… he's… here in Majestic now. And we're… together. Married. For real."

Which was, in fact, the truth. Even if all of those words could have been interpreted in wildly different ways.

"For real?" Silas murmured under his breath.

I squeezed his hand to the point of pain. "For real ," I hissed.

Everyone in the cafe went silent for a moment before the place erupted in a combination of congratulations, confusion, and criticism.

My sister's eyes narrowed as they flicked back and forth between me and Silas. I quickly did calculations in my brain to figure out how to play this so that my entire life didn't come crumbling down on top of me more than it already had.

Aunt Blake came closer, studying Silas. "I don't understand, but then again, I never claimed to be an expert in romance. Welcome to the family, honey," she said to the man next to me. "You can call me Aunt Blake. Now, how'd the two of you meet? Tell me everything."

Sheridan turned on her heel and disappeared back into the kitchen, presumably to tell her husband the news and ask his advice on how best to "handle" me. I would have followed her if I hadn't been so afraid of Silas letting the cat out of the bag about the truth of our marriage.

"We, ah… we met…" I began.

Silas cleared his throat and adjusted my death grip on his hand. I felt the soft swipe of his thumb across my skin. "At a bar," he prompted, telling a version of the truth just as he had to the woman the other night.

"Yes!" I seized this conversational life preserver, nodding my head like an idiot and trying to ignore what his thumb was doing to my stomach muscles. "At a bar. He… he saved me from several women who were…"

"Trying to pick him up," he said dryly.

"We danced!" I added. "And… talked. A lot." I turned to Silas, begging him with my eyes to go along with the generous interpretation of events, notably, the lack of mentioning we were on the way toward being blackout drunk.

He looked wary but didn't protest. In fact, he turned back to Aunt Blake and added, "I was charmed by your nephew, ma'am. He's very handsome and… kind."

My entire body felt like it was on fire. If Foster had been here, he would have never let me hear the end of how red my face had to be. "And Silas was… is … also… h-handsome," I said, feeling like I was under interrogation lights. It seemed half the town was listening to my explanation. "And smart. And funny." I glanced at Silas. "And a good dancer."

His eyes met mine with their usual intensity. "I couldn't wait to see him again," he admitted in a softer voice. I couldn't tell if it was truth or fiction, but I realized I hoped it was real. For some reason, I cared what this stranger thought of me, especially right now when I was playing fast and loose with his reputation.

"Anyway," I said, pasting on a large smile. "We were hoping to have a quiet lunch. I promised him Bo's chicken wrap."

Aunt Blake ushered us to a table in the dead center of the cafe as if we were royalty. I knew from experience this was where she sat groups that might prove entertaining.

"Can we get that booth in the corner?" I asked, pointing to the only open booth in the place.

"Tsk. You know how I like to keep those for bigger families, Waylon. No, you'll be fine right here. I'll send Sheridan over with some ice waters."

Before I could argue, she was off. Silas took a seat at the table like it was no big deal. Like his entire world hadn't just imploded.

My appetite was completely gone, replaced by a jangly nausea that reminded me of the hangover I'd had the day before.

"Sit, husband ," Silas said wryly.

I sat.