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A salty tang hit Cissy’s mouth, tears settling in the corners. Licking them away, she blinked hard and dragged the back of her hand over her cheeks.
Fat lot of good it would do to stand here and cry by the side of the road all night. She had to think. She had to focus.
She shoved the flashlight into her back pocket, then flipped on the hazard lights, and then leaned against the trunk. Moments later, the rumble of an engine rattled the dinky car at her back. Bright lights emerged over the hill and flooded her face.
She threw an arm up to shield her eyes as the loud truck drew to a halt. A large male frame emerged from the truck’s cab and positioned itself in front of the headlights. Uneasiness seeped into her gut.
“Hey!” Cissy shouted over the growling vehicle.
The silhouette placed its hands on its hips and the outline of a Stetson dipped in response.
“You want to shut that thing off? It’ll just about make a person deaf, you know?”
No response.
Crap. She squinted against the lights and dropped her arm to adopt a more defensive stance. “Look, I have a flat. Is there a tow-truck service around here?”
The figure took a few steps toward her but didn’t answer.
Great. Just great. Now some psycho redneck was going to butcher her and toss her body parts in the ditch. She reached around her back and gripped the end of the flashlight.
“Hey, I asked you a question.” Her heart pounded as he drew closer. She snatched the flashlight out of her back pocket and threw out a hand. “Stop.”
He didn’t. He just kept on coming. Adrenaline shot through her veins. She cast a quick look over her shoulder to the backseat, glancing at the boys’ blond heads illuminated by the headlights.
“I said stop.” Cissy jerked her arm over her head and flung the flashlight, clenching her fists in victory when it thumped against the silhouette’s head.
“Ow! Dammit,” the voice boomed as the figure folded over.
She almost collapsed with relief at the familiar tenor. “Dominic.”
He shifted closer, blocking the headlights and bringing his face into view. A bright red lump was appearing right below the brim of his hat. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” She slumped back against the car. “You shouldn’t have walked up on me like that. You scared the crap out of me.”
Dominic removed his hat, rubbing a hand over his brow and through his hair. The midnight strands fell forward in tousled waves.
“Good,” he growled, settling the Stetson back on his head. “You should be scared. You never stand outside your vehicle like that. You’re just asking for someone to snatch you up.”
Cissy lifted her chin and dragged her attention away from his dark eyes. “Well, seems to me like you wouldn’t have had much success in snatching me up, as you put it.”
Dominic grunted. He retrieved the flashlight from the ground, shoved it into her hand then banded his blunt fingers around her wrist. “What were you gonna do if this thing missed? Kick my kneecaps? You’re too short to reach much else.”
“Actually, I had something higher in mind,” she smirked, spinning the flashlight with her fingers.
Dominic’s luscious mouth twitched. He flattened it and rolled his eyes. “Right.”
Releasing her, he moved his muscular girth past her to survey the flat. A drift of spicy maleness enveloped her. Good Lord, he smelled good.
Fingers trembling, she rolled the flashlight between her palms. The heat from his grip still lingered on the base and she found her fingertips returning to smooth over it.
“You got a spare?”
“You’re looking at it.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, he leaned down and glanced inside the backseat. “They been out long?”
“Since we left the diner. They’ve had a long day.”
He nodded and opened the door. “I’ll get this one, you grab the other one.”
“Wait a minute.” She rushed over to stall him with a hand on his arm. Ignoring the bulk of his biceps under her fingers, she demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“The only thing there is to do. Loading them in my truck and taking them somewhere to sleep.” His tone turned mocking. “Or do you expect me to leave y’all stranded by the side of the road in the middle of the night?”
Cissy frowned. “No. But I don’t really know you. You’re a stranger.”
His black eyebrows rose. She had to agree with him. Her choice of words was lame.
“A stranger?” Dominic’s lip hitched. “I wasn’t so strange earlier when you stole my half-eaten burger outta my hand.” His eyes softened as he ran them over her face. “These boys are too young to sleep in a car by the side of the road. It’s not safe. You have to admit that.”
She opened her mouth but couldn’t manage to issue a sound. The summer heat engulfed her skin, rolling a drop of sweat between her breasts.
Spearing a hand through her hair, she flicked her eyes over the empty darkness surrounding them. What choice did she have? As much as she hated admitting it, he was right. The boys needed to be settled for the night.
Dominic nodded at her silence, then turned back to the car’s interior to unbuckle Jayden’s seat belt.
“Wait.” Cissy shot in front of him and gathered Jayden up in her arms. Maintaining her position, she clutched him to her chest and clenched her jaw.
Dominic’s mouth tightened and he took a step back. If he was offended, he didn’t comment on it. He just watched her for a handful of seconds then shrugged.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll grab their car seats. They’ll fit in the cab. Once the boys are settled, we’ll toss your bags in the back.”
They did so, with Cissy keeping a close eye on Dominic as he helped settle Jayden in the truck. They made swift work of relocating Kayden and the bags, too, and soon pulled out onto the road again.
“What about my car?” Cissy twisted in the passenger seat to watch it fade into the darkness.
“We’ll see about it in the morning. Get the tire replaced.” He paused as they turned onto a dirt road. “Although, from the looks of it, it needs a lot more than just a tire.”
She shot him a dirty look. Yeah. It did need a lot more than that. But a polite person wouldn’t have pointed it out.
That wasn’t the worst of it, though. She couldn’t afford a new tire. Or anything else, for that matter. Licking her lips, she turned her face away to look out of the window. Better to keep that bit of information to herself for now.
“Y’all were packed tight in there. Where were you headed?”
They bounced around as a pothole jostled them. Cissy glanced over her shoulder to find the boys still sleeping. “Nowhere in particular. I was just looking for the next motel.”
Dominic grunted. “Well, you weren’t gonna find one on that road for a while. Only thing for the next couple hours’ drive would’ve been deer and cemeteries.”
They hit another bump and Cissy reached back to prop Kayden’s dangling hand back in his lap. The action brought her face close to Dominic’s arm and she couldn’t prevent herself from taking a second look at the sinewy length. Even his forearm was defined, the toned tendons accentuated with a sprinkling of black hair.
And his scent was everywhere. That mix of sandalwood and man permeated every inch of the truck’s upholstery and released into the air with each of his movements. She forced herself to refocus on the boys and reached back to move a lock of hair off Jayden’s forehead.
“It’s just y’all?” His sexy rumble warmed her belly.
She met his sharp look for a moment before facing the window again. “Yeah.”
She strained to see beyond the halo of the truck’s headlights. It was too dark to see much other than the billowing of dust from the bottom of the truck and the passing of fence posts.
“Where’s their mama?”
Cissy clutched her hands in her lap and focused ahead on the uneven line of grass that met the dirt path they traveled. “Gone.”
“Their dad?”
She stilled her nervous movements and remained silent.
Her skin prickled at the sweep of his dark gaze on her once more. She bit her lip. He didn’t pursue it. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she welcomed the silence in the cab.
A few minutes later, he slowed the truck as they turned into a gated entrance. The truck’s headlights illuminated a wooden sign etched with the name Raintree Ranch as they proceeded.
“Raintree?” She vaguely recalled that tiny dot on the map she’d used.
“Yep.”
“This is your ranch?”
His mouth twisted. “Partially.”
Cissy drew up at his cynical tone and returned her attention to the windshield. The dirt road dipped and curved past a mammoth barn, dark paddocks and a dimly lit pond before leading them to an almost palatial house. She caught a glimpse of white columns, wide windows and several stories before the truck continued past and halted at the end of a back driveway.
“Let’s get the boys inside,” Dominic directed as he hopped out. Her hesitancy must have shown on her face. He leaned back into the cab to point out, “You can’t carry them both, Cissy.”
At her nod, he unloaded Jayden, hoisted him on his hip and led the way up a narrow path to a back door. She followed closely behind, clutching Kayden to her chest and stepping with care past the azaleas on each side of the walkway. The boys issued small grunts as they were jostled about and began lifting their heads as Dominic banged on the door.
“It’s really late, Dominic,” she said. “Don’t you have a key?”
He turned to study her for a moment. “Somewhere. Haven’t needed it in a while.”
Raising his big fist, he banged again. A light came on and one of the doors burst open.
A voice thundered, “What the hell, Dom?”
“I’m not alone, Logan,” Dominic bit out.
Cissy lifted to her toes, peering over Dominic’s broad shoulder. She just caught the angry frown of a tall, disheveled man. Shifting his weight, Dominic brought Jayden fully into the man’s line of sight.
Her stomach turned over and she clutched Kayden closer to her chest. It was much too late for visitors. She wouldn’t blame the guy—Logan, was it?—if he shooed them off and slammed the door.
Dominic’s bulk moved forward and she followed in his wake. Crossing the threshold, she stopped and glanced at Logan. There was a remarkable resemblance to Dominic, although this man was leaner and the lines on his face were slightly deeper.
His eyes were tired. Cissy winced. He probably thought she was an insensitive jerk for ripping him from his bed. She opened her mouth to issue an apology but he spoke first.
“Sorry. I didn’t see the boys.” Logan’s eyes swept the length of her, pausing to scrutinize Kayden’s face. “Please come in.”
“Thank you.” She lowered her chin to rest it on Kayden’s soft hair as she proceeded inside.
She kept close to Dominic’s heels, noting the kitchen was larger than the last three apartments she’d lived in put together. Granite countertops gleamed, stainless-steel appliances lined every wall and several oak tables were stationed about.
“Here,” Dominic instructed, pulling a chair out with his foot. “Have a seat. If you’ll hold on to them for a minute, I’ll get a room ready.”
Cissy lowered into the chair, adjusting Kayden onto her left hip as Dominic maneuvered Jayden onto the right one. Their legs dangled off on either side and she wrapped her arms tighter around them.
“Got ’em?” Dominic’s big, tanned hand hovered above Jayden’s back.
She looked down and readjusted the boys. Her scuffed sneakers were a marked contrast with the polished hardwood floor. She slid them underneath her chair.
“Yeah.” Her face flamed.
Dominic stepped away. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Logan cast one last look at the boys before leaving the room. Closing her eyes, Cissy sighed. Wisps of the boys’ hair moved and tickled her chin. She dropped her cheek to the top of their heads, rubbing it back and forth.
How had they ended up here? And in the middle of the night with an almost stranger?
She cringed. There was no way she could pay for her car being towed, a new tire and room and board for the night. What would Logan and Dominic do when they found out she was broke and had no place to go? Would they throw them out? Or worse, call Family and Children Services?
Clutching the boys tighter to her chest, she whispered an apology when Jayden whimpered. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
And if it wasn’t, she’d make it okay.
The cell phone in her pocket buzzed against her thigh. Cissy’s hands curled tighter around the boys. The incessant vibrations persisted despite her attempts to ignore them.
Keep our boys together, Cissy.
She firmed her features. She’d make it okay. She had to.
* * *
“ARE THEY YOURS?”
“Hell, no,” Dominic spat.
He winced at the harsh words that burst from his mouth. The warmth from Jayden’s body still lingered on his right side. And it wasn’t the kids’ fault his brother had turned into a cynical ass.
It was just like Logan to come out with guns blazing. This was the exact reason he’d put off coming home for so long this time out. Dominic gritted his teeth and flicked his eyes over the room to rein in his temper.
Not much had changed in Raintree Ranch’s main office over the past year and a half. It remained organized, controlled and presentable. Just like Logan.
