by Hart, Taylor
“Tiffany,” he said gritting his teeth, “you need to put your phone away and let me pay for these please.”
Her face turned worried. “Okay.” She moved to go behind the counter and started ringing him up. “You know I’m not going to post those or anything. I just want to show my mama and daddy when I get home. My daddy loves the Destroyers. You’re his favorite player. He never lost faith in you, even after that horrible hit to your knee.”
This softened him.
She swiped his card and gave him a signature receipt to sign and then the real receipt. “I’m sorry. Really. I—I’ll delete those pictures right now.” She winked at him. “But, let the record show, I’ve always been team Roman, too.” She whispered, “You’re much cuter than Dumont. I don’t know what your ex-wife was thinking.”
He watched her. He took the bag of junk food and sighed. “Why don’t you delete those pictures, and I’ll do you one better.”
“What?”
He nodded. “Come here, and we’ll get a selfie together. Then you’ll have a real picture to show your parents.”
“Eek!” She ran around the counter, her phone already whipped out. “Ohmygosh!” She slammed into his side, already holding up the phone and positioning it.
He let out a soft laugh and put his arm around her, putting on his media smile.
Without warning, and without any malcontent—only complete self-interest—at the last second, Tiffany reached up and kissed his cheek before snapping the picture. “Eek!” She slipped away and giggled. “I’m sorry! I had to!”
He shook his head and went for the door. “Have a good night, Tiffany!”
Chapter 9
Feeling extremely lame with a bag of junk food in his hand, he rang the doorbell of the cute little home that Katie lived in. It was a couple of streets behind Main Street. The home itself looked a little worn, but he noticed the fresh curtains and the spring wreath that hung on the front door.
Josh answered the door, swinging it back wide. He was in superman jammies, and his hair looked damp. “Hi.” He ginned up at him. “I can’t believe you came.” He said a little breathlessly.
Roman bent down and smiled back. “I can’t believe you invited me.” He copied the breathless way Josh had spoken.
Josh giggled and waved his arm to have him come in. “Come on, Mama made her famous Lasagna, and she made a strawberry spinach salad, and she even made her homemade bread after school.” Dramatically, he licked his lips and rubbed his tummy.
Following Josh, Roman’s stomach growled. Lasagna and fresh bread sounded delicious. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had fresh bread. Or that someone had made it for him. He flashed back to a memory of standing in the kitchen with his mother. He’d probably been fifteen. Before she’d gotten the news of the cancer. He had this sudden, vivid memory of her holding out mushy bread dough for him.
“Hey.” Katie stood in her apple-decorated kitchen. She wore a black turtleneck with jeans, and her hair was long and straight down her back. His breath caught for a second. She’d worn make up, and her eyes looked slightly exotic.
“H-hey.” His mouth was dry, and he didn’t know why his brain seemed to completely scatter.
She took off the apple apron that she wore and rinsed her hands, smiling at him. “I’m glad you could make it.”
For a moment, it felt like she might be slightly off kilter and maybe couldn’t catch her breath. But he didn’t have much time to think about it.
Josh tugged at the bag in his hand. “What did you bring?” He tried to peek inside.
“Josh.” Katie moved around the counter and took his shoulder. “Honey, that’s rude.”
All Roman could do was smile, delighted by the rawness of kids. He loved kids, taking every chance he’d gotten to do promo work at schools. He squatted down and held the bag open for him. “Well, since I don’t have your mom’s baking skills, this is what I came up with in a pinch.”
Josh’s eyes widened. “Holy cow! That’s a lot of junk food! Mama never lets me eat all that stuff!”
Roman and Katie locked eyes, both of them smiling at Josh’s reaction. Roman handed the bag to Katie. “Your mom can be the boss of it.” He gave her a flirtatious wink, acknowledging the inside joke.
She cocked an eyebrow, but kept a grin on her face. She put the bag on the counter. “Let’s go sit down for dinner.”
“I can’t wait for dessert. Let’s do dessert first!” Josh pleaded.
Katie gently held him by the shoulder and started moving to the candle lit table in the back of the kitchen. “No spoiling your dinner, like Roman said—for dessert.”
Josh did mini jumps. “Can we eat it for movie night, mama?” he asked, slipping into his chair. He jerked back. His eyes alight. “Wait, can Roman stay for movie night?”
Katie motioned for Roman to take a seat then she looked caught. She sat. “Josh, Roman probably doesn’t want to stay for Buzz Light Year.”
Immediately, Josh swerved to him. “Do you?”
If Josh hadn’t wanted him to stay so badly, he would have wondered—by Katie’s reaction—if he was wanted at all.
“Please!” He put his hands together in a prayer position.
Roman didn’t know what to say. He, once again, looked at Katie for acknowledgement.
She smoothed her clothes and then met his gaze. “Roman, would you like to stay for movie night?”
He nodded. “I’d love to.”
“Yay!” Josh clapped.
Katie rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
The idea that she should be sorry about how much Josh wanted him there, was the furthest thing from what he was feeling. “No worries.”
Her face turned red. “It-it’s not you. I mean. Not cause you’re famous. He’s just been …” she trailed and looked down at her hands.
Suddenly, it hit him. One year. Tomorrow. The poor kid had lost his father one year ago.
“It’s my dad.” Josh’s voice was sad, and he looked down. “He died, ya know.”
The center of Roman’s chest tightened. He blinked. “I’m sorry.”
Josh looked up at him, tears in his eyes. “I know you lost your Uncle Jim. Were you two close?”
At this moment Josh did not seem like a normal seven year old. Roman reached over and put a light hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Yes. I … I wish I would have been even closer to him …” He trailed for a second. A sudden tear leaked out of him. Roman couldn’t believe he was actually losing it. Before coming to Wolfe Creek, he hadn’t cried in a long time. Even when he’d caught Sheena cheating. He had been angry, sad, depressed, but he hadn’t cried. Now he was crying at the drop of a hat. He brushed a ragged hand over his face. “My mom died a few years ago too.”
Josh’s face filled with concern. “Well, I guess both of us have parents to miss.”
Roman pulled his hand back and leaned over the table, turning to glance at Katie. She had a full stream of tears running down her cheeks. He swallowed back the rest of his emotion and smiled at this seven-year old that seemed a lot older than his age. “Yep.”
Katie sniffed and grinned at him.
Roman let out a breath, his heart pounding in his chest. “It’s okay to miss them. It’s good to miss them.”
Josh wiped his face. “Okay, let’s eat, mom.”
She bowed her head and reached for both of their hands. “Okay, let’s pray, then we’ll eat.”
Chapter 10
As quickly as Josh had gotten serious about missing his dad, he flitted to other thoughts, keeping the conversation going through dinner with questions about Roman’s childhood, his mother, his father, why he didn’t have any brothers.
Roman fired back questions in equal amounts about Josh’s teacher, his friends, why he wasn’t playing football yet.
At this, Josh rolled his eyes and looked sheepishly at his mother. “She won’t let me until I’m twelve.”
Katie had an eyebrow cocked when Roman turned to her.
&n
bsp; “Well,” Roman remembered his own mother having that rule. He also remembered ganging up on her with Uncle Jim. She hadn’t given in until he was eleven, after much convincing. He grinned. “Then you’ll listen to your mother. They’re right most of the time.” He winked at Katie.
Josh seemed to think about it. Then he turned to his mother. “Can I have a donut, please mom?”
He’d eaten most of his dinner.
Katie finished chewing and then took a sip of water. “Yes.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness as Josh jumped off the chair and ran for the sack.
They both laughed.
Katie’s phone buzzed. She got up and checked it.
“Everything okay?” Roman asked.
Giving him her phone, she glared at him. “I see you’ve already been claimed by your Wolfe Creek Bachelorette.”
Even though Roman wasn’t surprised to see the selfie of him and Tiffany, he knew he was blushing. “Arg. I let her take a selfie with me at the gas station.”
Rolling her eyes, Katie took her phone back. “Well, I guess your image can handle Tiffany.”
He was confused. “How come you get tweets from Tiffany?”
“I don’t. Tiffany just texted me to make sure I saw it and added the link.”
A laugh jerked out of Roman. “Of course she did.”
She shook her head.
Roman finished eating. “Well. Thank you for dinner. And you can send out a tweet of our sledding picture anytime you want.” He cleared his throat when she glared at him again. “You know, just in case you want to combat Tiffany.”
She scoffed, “I wouldn’t do that.”
He grinned, liking the fact she was still staring at the picture of him. “Well, you don’t have to get my attention like that.”
“I don’t?” she challenged.
He winked at her and stood. “No, Mrs. Winters, you have all my attention.”
Katie looked surprised and stood, too. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
The fact she looked upset made Roman happy. He gathered his and Josh’s dishes. “In my house, whoever cooked never did dishes.” That had been his mother’s rule, and she’d clung to it hard and fast, even as he’d gotten older. Granted, Sheena had never cooked so it’d never been a thing before.
“Oh no.” She began clearing her own dishes and put the salad dressing in the crook of her elbow. “I couldn’t let you.”
Leveling her with a frown, Roman walked for the sink. “I don’t think you have a choice. I’m a guest.”
“Exactly,” she said, insisting, “Guests don’t do dishes.” She shoved herself between him and the sink just as he was putting the dishes in.
He pulled his arm back and then put the dishes into the sink with her in front of him. It felt intimate standing so close together. He breathed in her now familiar mellow lemon scent. His heartbeat ratcheted up a notch. He was leaning just a bit, and her lips were right there. At the perfect level.
When he looked back to her eyes, he realized they were on his lips, and she appeared to be breathing just as hard.
“You’re not doing dishes. Why do you always have to push me?”
He couldn’t help himself. He drew closer, studying her eyes. “It’s not pushing. It’s manners.” His voice was low.
Her breath hitched, and she grinned quickly spinning to the side and putting the dishes down into the sink. She flipped on the faucet. “You’re too late, I’ve already started.”
Looking back, he would wonder why he had felt compelled to pick her up and take her into the front room.
She fought against him, but he was too strong. “Roman, put me down!”
“Yeah! Woot!” Josh was beside them, a donut in each hand. “No dishes for you, mom!”
He put her on the couch, but kept her arms pinned to the sides for a second before letting go and sprinting back to the kitchen. He heard trailing laughter.
“He got you, mom!” Josh called out.
She laughed more. “Yes, he did.”
Roman had barely begun filling the dishwasher when she came back in. Her chin up, she went straight to the table, a grin on her face. “You are the most mannered guest I’ve ever had.”
A laugh escaped him at her backhanded compliment. “Thank you.” He focused on cleaning the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.
She put all the food away and hummed.
“Mom, can I turn the movie on?”
“Go brush your teeth, and then you can.” She opened the fridge and put leftovers in. “We’ll be out in a second.”
It was ridiculous, but being in the kitchen with her and watching her cheerfully put away leftovers, he was filled with more than happiness. He felt content and at home. Then she was done. She took a towel, sliding next to Roman. “Excuse me, I need some water.”
Feeling silly, he took some bubbles and put them on her nose. “I guess I can spare some.” He pushed the faucet up.
Hesitating, she blew the bubbles off her nose and then gently swiped some more up and onto his nose.
Their eyes met, and all Roman wanted to do at this moment was kiss her. This simple task, sharing a meal on a cold night, and then doing this normal chore left him breathless. How he had wanted something like this with Sheena. How he’d longed for it. But, she’d been a woman that never would have held a tool, let alone made him home made bread. Heck, Katie had done more sincere things for him in two days than his ex-wife had ever done in their three-year marriage. “Katie,” he whispered.
For a second, he thought they might kiss.
“Mom.”
Both of them were yanked back to reality.
Josh put his hands on his hips. “When are you guys going to come watch the movie?” he asked.
Katie shushed him and took him back into the front room.
Finishing up the dishes and wiping off the counters, Roman wondered how long he could stand being in the room with her and not kissing her.
Chapter 11
Getting situated on the couch had been an easy task. “Come sit by me,” Josh insisted when the kitchen was put away to Katie’s specifications. He held out an old football and a marker. “Will you sign this?”
Roman took the football. “How about I make you a deal?”
“Okay.” Josh looked at him expectantly.
“How about I give you a signed Cowboy’s ball tomorrow?”
He bounced in his seat. “Really?”
He’d seen a ball that his uncle had kept by his bedside, with Roman’s signature on it. He was sure his uncle wouldn’t mind if Josh had it. “I’ll send it home with your mom.”
He grinned. “Deal.”
Katie sat on the other side of Josh, and they all fell into a silent camaraderie as they watched the movie.
Every couple of minutes Josh pointed at the movie and laughed and asked Roman if he’d seen this part. Roman really hadn’t seen it. He relaxed into a comfortable spectator position, crossing his ankle on his knee.
It wasn’t too long before Josh lay back and began to doze against his mother’s side.
At first Roman tried not to look at Katie. Then not looking at her ended up being the only thing he could focus on. Finally, he relented.
To his immense pleasure, she was already staring at him, her hand on Josh’s head and a grin on her face. Her eyes were that bright, almost turquoise green.
“What?” he whispered, feeling caught.
She looked down at Josh for a second. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady. “You’re not what I expected, Roman Young.”
Sudden warmth filled him, and he grinned. He could only imagine what she had thought of him from the media coverage. He lifted his eyebrows. “I guess my only answer is…I never expected you, Katie Winters.”
At this, she grinned back.
He nodded to Josh. “Do you want me to carry him up?”
She gave a quick nod.
He stood and then, with extra care, tugged Josh gently from his mother’s arms
.
Katie went ahead of him, turning on the lights up the stairs.
He followed her into a super hero decorated room with blue curtains and a Destroyers bed spread. He couldn’t resist. “This boy is clearly a good boy.”
She drew the covers back and sighed. “What can I say? He and his father always liked the Destroyers.”
Roman put him in the bed and then backed up as she finished tucking him in. Josh woke a little. “Mama, lay by me.”
“Will you turn off the light?” Katie asked as she slipped beside Josh in his bed.
Roman backed up, turning off the light and softly going down the stairs. His mind was filled with her. Her long, soft curls and lemon smell—like lemonade on a summer day on the porch with his mother. Emotions swirled through him that he didn’t know how to handle, but they felt good. Real. Everything that his life in Texas was not.
He heard her singing some soft song to Josh. Yes, that was what he liked about Katie. She was real. The kind of woman a man could hold tight on a cold night, without worrying if he messed up her hair. The kind of woman a man could tease and pick up. The kind of woman who would put him in his place—for the right reasons, like to tell him to be kind because Henry and Mrs. K were dealing with a lot.
He sat on her couch and watched Buzz Light Year. It mystified him that suddenly he’d found everything he’d ever wanted. Right here. At the Alaskan Inn.
Had his uncle known that he would fall in love with Katie? How could he have? Maybe he’d hoped? Warmth filled him.
Katie padded down the stairs and Roman felt his pulse spike again. Dang, how is it he couldn’t get used to being near her? He had been at the classiest events, on camera shoots, at the best parties and he had never, ever felt nervous around those women. But here, in the middle of podunk nowhere, here was a woman, wearing a tool belt and pom pom hats, that put him off his game.
She stood by the TV and changed the channels, putting on the news. Immediately, sports came up, and his picture splashed onto the screen. She sat down next to him.
