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“He ain’t got no dirt on his butt, Kayden,” the other twin exclaimed at his rear. “Real cowboys have dirty butts.”
“Boys,” their aunt shouted from the booth. “Stop that and get over here.”
“Aw, come on, Aunt Cissy. We ain’t never seen one up close before.” Kayden rolled his lips and squinted at her.
“Well, you’ve seen one now, kiddos,” Sheila interjected, dumping the last of the glass in the trash. “Dom here’s not only a real cowboy but he’s the top bull rider in the world. He’s won the PBR championship four years in a row now.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and smiled. “First ever to do it. Saw you on TV, Dom. You looked great.”
Dominic issued a halfhearted smile. A scoff emerged from the direction of the booth. Turning, he watched the blonde blush and tilt her chin higher.
“That where you got this?” Kayden popped a fist into his belt buckle, coming dangerously close to sensitive parts of his anatomy.
Dominic recoiled. “Whoa, there.”
“That’s it.” Their aunt’s blue eyes spat sparks. “Get over here now.” She jabbed a finger toward the floor and pinned the boys with a stern look. They reluctantly complied, dragging their feet over to hop up beside her in the booth.
“I’m really sorry about this.” Sheila divested him of the broom and passed her eyes over each of them. “Meal’s on the house. Dom, what can I get you?”
He opened his mouth to respond when Kayden piped, “We got a triple cheeseburger. That’s what you should get.”
He laughed at the boy’s authoritative tone. It’d been a long time since he’d been around a kid. He forgot how lively they could make a mundane event.
“Sounds good,” Dominic said. “I’ll have it with fries.” He ambled toward a bar stool but drew up short when Kayden waved a small hand in his direction.
“Hey, come sit with us. There’s room,” Kayden urged with an eager expression.
He hated to disappoint the boy but was willing to. Dominic was about to decline, but found the words sticking in his throat when their aunt shushed the boy then shot a look of disapproval his way.
Dominic grunted. Fine thanks for trying to help someone out. “You know what?” He threw a smile in the boys’ direction. “Don’t mind if I do.”
He maneuvered his big frame into the other side of the booth, sucking in his abs and wobbling the table forward a few inches to make more room. Removing his hat, he placed it on the edge of the table and dragged a hand through his hair.
The look of irritation flitting across her delicate features widened his smile. Now, this was something new. It’d been a long time since he had to work to get the attention of a woman.
“Here you go.” Sheila plopped two plates of food and a tray of sugar packets in front of the trio. “And, Dom,” she purred, setting a meal in front of him. Hesitating, she cast a glance at the boys’ aunt. “You sure I can’t get you anything more? It’s gratis. Soup? Pie?”
“No, thank you.” She refused to look up and helped the boys arrange napkins in their laps.
No surprise there. She was probably one of those women that lived off salad and diet soda. Dominic dug into his food with almost as much gusto as the boys. It’d been several days since he’d stopped long enough to sit somewhere and let his stomach settle.
“Cissy, huh?” he mumbled out around a bite of burger before dragging a napkin across his mouth.
He noticed her eyes followed the movement and lingered on his lower lip. She wasn’t completely unaffected by him. Dominic dropped his gaze to the table to hide his satisfaction.
“Cissy,” she affirmed. “Cissy Henley.”
“I’m Kayden,” the boy garbled out around his own mouthful of food.
“And this is Jayden,” Cissy commented, nodding in the other boy’s direction.
He swallowed before taking another huge bite and offering up his own introduction. “Dominic Slade.”
“Cowboy.” A bit of food flew out of Jayden’s mouth at the declaration and Cissy quickly admonished them both not to talk with their mouths full.
Abashed, Dominic pressed his lips together and chewed, making sure his mouth was empty before asking, “Y’all from around here?”
“No” was her only response before taking a gulp of coffee.
Though Cissy seemed intent upon drinking, her long lashes lifted and she returned her attention to his mouth.
Dominic’s blood rushed as her eyes darkened. He shifted in the small confines of the booth, uncomfortably aware of the tightness of his jeans. He damned sure had been on the road too long.
Cissy lowered the cup and continued to stare. Surely she wasn’t trying to come on to him in front of the kids. Not that it’d be the first time. Lately, nothing women did surprised him.
Thankful for the silence that ensued, Dominic continued working on his meal. He was impressed by the boys’ appetites. They managed to polish off each half of their burger, every onion ring and almost an entire sundae. Only a few drops of melted ice cream remained.
Jayden flopped back with a sigh. “I’m full.”
“Me, too,” Kayden added. Their eyes were heavy and they looked as though they could nod off at any moment.
“I should hope so,” Dominic commented with a chuckle, the last third of his burger hovering above his plate between his fingertips. “Don’t know where you two possibly put it all.”
That drew a sleepy but broad smile from them both.
“We’re bottomless pits,” Jayden piped with pride, tapping his chest with his fist.
Cissy laughed and ruffled her fingers through their blond hair. The boys closed their eyes and leaned into her, soaking it up and drifting off. Dominic couldn’t help but admire her expression. Her whole face lit up, her eyes bright.
As though sensing his scrutiny, she faced him again and nibbled on the rosy curve of her bottom lip. His stomach flipped over at her shy look. She had freckles. They were scattered over the bridge of her pert nose and the apples of her cheeks. He had the strange urge to touch his tongue to them to see if they tasted as sweet as they looked.
“Dominic?” she asked, leaning forward. Her tongue curled around his name. She carefully moved her arms from the sleeping boys and slid them across the table. Her breasts pressed against the edge.
Dominic peeled his eyes from the scoop of her white tank top and cursed himself for wishing the neckline was a good bit lower. “Yeah?” he choked.
“Are you finished?” A flush of pink heat encompassed her cheeks, obscuring the freckles.
He stilled. This was it. Proposition time. He had to give her points, though. She’d put it off a lot longer than most women. And despite his cynicism, he surprised himself by being eager to play.
“Are you finished?” she repeated with a raised brow. Those beautiful blues of hers moved from his mouth to his hand.
“Yeah,” he mumbled.
She drew closer, stretching across the distance between them, and lifted her hand. His body tightened and his eyelids lowered to half-mast as he anticipated her touch on his skin.
“Great,” she chimed.
Empty air drifted between his fingers. Dominic frowned. He’d been robbed.
Cissy stuffed a good portion of what remained of his triple cheeseburger into her mouth and closed her eyes. Mustard trickled off the side of her chin and her pink tongue shot out to catch it with a low moan of pleasure.
Well, double damn. This was definitely a first.
A loud ring jarred from underneath the table. Cissy jumped, then scrambled around, producing a cell phone before quickly silencing it and shoving it back in her pocket.
“Fwanks,” she mumbled around the wad of burger. “We gotta glo.”
“But...”
Dominic blinked, struggling to get a grip on the situation when she rose from her seat and jostled the boys awake. She tugged money from her pocket, counted out a few bills and dropped them onto the table. The remnants of hot desire pumped through his veins as she bustled the boys out of the booth.
She stooped to grab a quarter from the pile still resting on the floor where the candy machine used to reside. Her eyes brushed over him, dismissing him and focusing on the exit just before she tugged the boys out the door.
Dominic shifted at the uncomfortable churn in his gut. What the hell just happened?
“You finished, Dom?”
Sheila’s perky voice grated across his nerves as he strained to make out the trio in the darkness beyond the window. Cissy leaned into the backseat of a battered Toyota and strapped the boys in with one hand. The other still held the last bit of his burger.
“Yeah,” he stated offhandedly, watching as Cissy finished settling the boys and polished off the last bite, pausing as she reached the driver’s-side door.
“Poor thing,” Sheila observed. “I got the feeling she couldn’t afford to buy herself something to eat. She made sure those boys got what they wanted, though. Cute kids but a bit rowdy.”
Frowning, Dominic examined the stiff line of Cissy’s back. She stared to her right at the long stretch of highway before turning her head to the left and peering equally as hard.
“Did she mention where they were headed?” He delivered the question through stiff lips.
He traveled light. The last thing he needed was a complication. Much less three of them.
“Nope. She wasn’t the talkative type.” Sheila pressed against his side and asked, “Anything else I can get you?”
Forced to pull his attention from the window, he drudged up a polite smile. “No, thanks.” He withdrew a hefty tip from his pocket and dropped it on the table before rising. “It was good running into you.”
“Anytime, cowboy,” she mocked with humor. “Give me a call if you get bored later.”
Dominic ducked his heated face in acknowledgment before leaving. Stepping outside, he watched the battered Toyota groan its way up the graveled drive and take a right.
Travel light. He slapped his hat against his leg then settled it back on his head with the firm reminder. He already had his hands full with returning home. He should get in his truck and go straight to the ranch. No stops. Straight there. Put in an appearance, shake his brother off his back then get on the road as planned.
Cissy’s plight wasn’t any of his business. And it was clear she didn’t want him to have any part of it. She couldn’t have made it any plainer when she’d looked right through him as though he wasn’t there.
As though he was nothing.
But that was to be expected. Out here, he was no one’s hero. Dominic grimaced. Except maybe Sheila’s.
He strolled to his truck and gripped the hard metal of the door handle only to find his gaze straying back to the highway and the fast-dwindling taillights of Cissy’s car.
Damn. It would’ve been worth one more regretful night to wake up with that sexy spitfire draped over him. To look down at those beautiful blues of hers in the bright light of day.
Dominic sighed and jerked the door open. Travel light. After a quick visit home, he’d return to the circuit where he measured up. And the sooner, all the damn better.
Chapter Two (#ulink_a17b7567-3fae-5a4f-8d46-142398a1256b)
The steering wheel pulled hard to the right, jerking Cissy’s hands with it. Tugging on the wheel, she straightened the car and coaxed it forward again. Twelve minutes after bailing the greasy diner and her ragged car was dying on the highway.
A loud hum from her cell phone sounded over the clanking of the engine. Persistent joker! That was one thing she had to give Jason Reed, the twins’ father, credit for. Once he got his mind set on something, he was like a pit bull. He’d sink his teeth in and never let go.
The vibrating stopped. Cissy bit her lip and hunched against the steering wheel. Her heart lurched. Sweat streamed from her brow, burning the corner of her eye.
Real stupid, Cissy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What had she done? What was she thinking packing the boys up and dragging them all over the state of Georgia?
The cell phone, though silent, seared through the pocket of her shorts, scorching its presence into her thigh. She relinquished her clutch on the steering wheel and readjusted it with trembling fingers.
Okay. She’d screwed up again. Big-time. Lost her temper. Her home. Her direction in life.
Wrapping her hands tighter around the wheel, she willed the car on. It didn’t have to be as bad as it seemed. All she needed to do was buy some time and find a bit of work to tide them over until she found something permanent.
And she would. She always managed to pull through.
Her chest tightened. Only, it had always been just her. It wasn’t just her anymore. She had two children to consider now. And the damage was already done. What was she going to do?
Cissy swallowed hard and renewed her grip on the steering wheel. A motel was probably right over the next hill. Just a few more miles.
“Come on, ol’ girl,” she cajoled, patting the dash.
A loud pop and a sharp jerk of the steering wheel had her gasping as the car veered off the road and jerked to a stop.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Cissy?” Jayden mumbled.
Squaring her shoulders, she mentally directed herself to calm down and glanced in the backseat. Jayden was struggling to keep his eyes open. Kayden had long since been out for the count and sprawled with snoring abandon in his booster seat.
“Nothing, baby,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
Nothing? She yanked the keys out of the ignition. That was the understatement of the year. Or, at least, the biggest lie she’d ever told. It was pitch-black outside. They’d just blown a tire. She was sure of it. And, now they were stranded on the edge of a ditch, in the middle of nowhere, without a soul in sight.
Cissy dug out a flashlight from the glove compartment and went to survey the damage. The low beam glowed over a deflated heap of rubber pooling on the grass. It was a lost cause.
She rotated to take in her surroundings, the flashlight bouncing in her shaky grip. There were no houses or driveways. The dim light flickered over wire fences and the edges of empty fields. Only menacing darkness lay beyond.
Cissy dropped her head and kicked the ground. How irresponsible could she be? She’d panicked and taken a chance without weighing it first. She’d jumped without a net, and instead of landing on her feet she was plummeting facedown toward the dirt.
What should she do now? What would Crystal do?
Her mouth twisted. Crystal would never have gotten the boys into a mess like this to begin with. Her sister may have been weak in the head where Jason was concerned but she would never have taken such a gamble on their security. She would’ve sweet-talked any sleazy landlord if it meant keeping a roof over the boys’ heads.
Cissy slapped the flashlight against her palm. Heck if she’d do that. She’d never beg a slimeball like him for charity.
Keep our boys together, Cissy. Crystal’s plea whispered in her mind and wrapped around her on the humid summer air. Give them what we never had. Promise me...
And she had promised.
