by Jen Talty
“Here.” JW held out the check with a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
“That’s way too big of a tip,” she said, starring at the hot cowboy. She didn’t know if she should be insulted or not.
“I’m going to leave it all on the counter, so either it goes in your pocket, or the other bartender’s. The choice is yours.”
“Thank you.” She went to the register, ringing up his check before ducking into the back room to collect her things. She’d split the tip, but she didn’t need to do that in front of the customer. After clocking out, she said her good-byes to her brother and made her way to the patron side of the bar, but JW wasn’t standing there.
Well, that was rude after she’d actually gone to the trouble of making a list.
She glanced around the room, letting out a sigh of relief when she spied him coming out of the restroom, holding that damn hat in his hand. He nodded in her direction, pointing to the front door.
A flutter of excitement crawled up her body. She tried to banish the feeling before it made her cheeks flush with desire she hadn’t experienced in a few years. Even her hands got clammy, which hadn’t happened since the first time she had to open a wine bottle in front of Preston and his entire family.
“Here’s a list of my favorite spots. I’m sure there are a ton more of things to do, but it will give you a good start.” She placed the piece of notebook paper in his strong, callused hand.
He shoved the list in his back pocket. “Do you like ice cream?” he asked as he held open the door.
She swallowed. “You seem like a nice guy, but I don’t date my customers.”
“I’m not asking for a date, just to share some ice cream. I saw a nice little desert shop down the street.” He pointed in the direction of Haller’s Treats, which was only a few blocks from her house.
Well, hell. She had to walk right past it. “All right, but only because it’s hotter than hell outside.”
The sun hadn’t quite disappeared behind the horizon and the humid air clung to her pores as she tucked her purse under her armpit and tried to keep up with JW’s long strides. He looked like he was taking a leisurely stroll, while she scurried on like a hamster on a spinning wheel.
He ordered a chocolate chip sugar cone, and she asked for a double chocolate in a dish.
“I can pay for my own.” Standing in front of the register, she dug into her purse.
“I’m sure you can, but my sister would have my head if I didn’t.”
“Your sister’s not here.” She took the cup he offered, letting him pay. She saw no point in insulting his kindness, but she would have to make sure he understood that she wasn’t interested.
She bit back a smile. Not interested? Hell, all she could think about was how his callused hands would feel on her back side.
They sat at one of the tables outside. This time, he kept his cowboy hat on.
“I have to ask, what’s with the hat?”
“Where I come from, this is our version of your baseball cap, which I’ve been wondering why do people wear those suckers backward? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“When on right, it blocks the sun from your face. When on backward, it protects the neck.”
“Is that why I don’t see a single redneck in this city?”
She laughed so hard she nearly spit out a mouth full of ice cream. “You’ll need to go to the country side in Virginia to see them.” She wiped her lips with the tiny napkin all ice cream shops give out. “So, where do you live?”
“Buhl, Idaho.” He finished his cone in like three bites.
She shivered, her teeth stinging at the idea of chewing the cold desert. “Idaho? What the hell are you doing in Baltimore?”
He shrugged. “I’ve probably had one too many drinks, so consider this me being loose in the lips since I generally don’t talk about myself to perfect strangers.” He tipped his hat up a tad, leaning back in his chair. “The last year has been difficult for me, and my family kept telling me that I needed to take a vacation. So, Georgia Moon set up a map of the United States and handed me a dart. I swore I’d go wherever the dart landed.”
“It landed on Baltimore?” She shook her head. “You poor man.”
“It can’t be that bad, can it?” he asked.
“Just be careful where you go at night. Actually, I wouldn’t walk anywhere after dark in this city.”
“That sucks.”
She nodded. “Speaking of which. I live a few blocks from here, and I should get going.”
“After what you just said, I’m walking you home.”
She took in a long slow breath. “I appreciate the company, the ice cream, and the gesture, but I’m not interested in—”
“I’m going to be rude,” he said, gently taking her by the elbow. “Part of why I need a vacation is because of a bad relationship I was in, and I’m here to clear my head, not get involved, or even have a fling. But I’m a gentleman who can in no way feel good about letting you walk alone in these streets. I’ve heard about the crime in this city—”
She patted his biceps and damn near melted. “You can walk me home.” She shouldn’t have said that. While she believed he was a harmless cowboy, she had a rule about the men who came into the bar. Hell, she had a rule about men. Stay clear of them until she was completely on her own because living with her parents generally turned single, successful men away.
Chapter 3
JW CHUGGED ANOTHER bottle of water as he stood outside the entrance of the National Aquarium waiting for the lovely Kitty. He fought a killer hangover that even a greasy bacon and egg sandwich hadn’t cured. The hot sun beat down on his face. He squinted under the protection of his hat and a pair of expensive sunglasses that hadn’t performed quite as well as the salesperson had promised as the brightness of the sun doused his irises.
He hadn’t a clue how he managed to talk Kitty into meeting him this insanely hot morning or why he agreed to go to an aquarium, but it was better than the zoo, which on a day like today would smell worse than the inside of an outhouse with no ventilation.
He glanced at his phone. Only five after ten, so she wasn’t really late, but he had no way of contacting her since they hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. They’d just agreed to meet when he’d left her at the base of her porch at what she referred to as a row house. He couldn’t imagine living in a place that had no yard and was attached to his neighbors. At his ranch in Idaho, his closest neighbor was a good five miles away. They were nice enough; he just couldn’t imagine seeing them every day, sitting on their front porch, while he sat on his.
Last night, the walk from her house to the hotel had only taken fifteen minutes, but after dark, the streets turned a bit shady. City boy he was not, and this city scared him more than stepping in a field of rattlesnakes in the dark of night, only able to see their beady little eyes just before they hurled themselves from the ground, fangs ready to sink into flesh.
Lifting his hat, he raked a hand through his hair. He’d actually tried on a couple of baseball caps in the hotel gift shop, but he’d rather have people walk by and stare rather than being insanely uncomfortable.
A bus stopped in front of the Aquarium and a set of tanned, toned legs graced his vision. He lowered his chin, pushing his hat up a little, peering over the rim of his shades. Kitty wore a pair of sexy jean shorts that hung loose on her hips. A black tank top, showing off her small, but perfectly round breasts was tucked neatly into her jeans, and a dark sweater wrapped around her middle accentuated her curvy hips. Her feet sported a pair of sparkly flippy things, and her toenails were doused in pink polish. Her long, red hair that had been in a braid the night before bounced over her shoulders, the strands brushing against her tiny waistline.
“Good morning,” he said, shoving his glasses back up his nose, adjusting his hat, and swallowing his thirst to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her cute, plump lips until the sun set.
She waved a piece of paper in front of him. �
��Found a couple of coupons. Half off.”
He shook his head. While he never squandered his money, he didn’t go out of his way to find coupons. That said, he grew his own vegetables partly because it cost less and partly because it was easier than driving thirty miles to the nearest store. Not to mention, he had abundant access to chicken, turkey, cows, and the occasional game he shot himself. He could sustain life on the ranch for weeks without going anywhere, except for beer runs.
“Now you’re going to have to have dinner with me.”
She tilted her head, pursing her lips, giving him an odd look. “How do you get that from me saving us twenty bucks?”
“To thank you for that kind savings,” he said, looping his arm over her shoulder. Her body tucked neatly against his tall frame. His mind kept telling him to back off. To ignore the pull she had over him. But his body couldn’t disregard the physical effects of desire.
“I’m not having dinner with you,” she said as they walked into the main gate. She pushed the paper at the young man at the ticket booth.
Before she could dig out her money, he tossed his credit card on the counter. “My mother raised me to be gentleman.”
She tilted her head, staring him in the eye. “Being a gentleman and me paying my own way have nothing to do with each other, but I’m not going to argue with you. Something tells me you are more stubborn than a mule.”
“My grandmother told me I have mule-like stupidity.” He signed the slip and guided her toward the shark exhibit. He’d mapped out the entire aquarium over breakfast and didn’t intend on veering from his plan.
“I bet your grandmother is a smart woman.”
“She was the brightest, sweetest lady I’ve ever known.” His heart swelled with the memory of his dear grandmother’s last words to him: Your kindness will pay off someday, and your broken heart will mend. But you have to get your head out of your ass first.
Two days later, his grandmother died peacefully in her sleep at the young age of eighty-six.
“Was?” Kitty had slipped her sweater on as they entered the shark building and tunnel.
The cool air stung his perspiration-drenched skin like someone hurled tiny pieces of ice cubes that stuck to him like a tongue on a frozen pole.
“She passed a couple months ago.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Kitty glided her hand across the railing as a couple of colorful fishes and a large turtle swam by the glass.
“Thank you.” In all his travels, he’d only been to the ocean once, with Bella. That had been a total nightmare with her constant need to be the center of attention and really, that he could have dealt with had she just once tried to do something adventurous. He hadn’t asked for much, but she wouldn’t even get on the back of a jet ski, much less, God forbid, get her hair wet.
A large shark with its mouth partially opened slinked by a little too close for comfort.
He coiled his fingers around her hips and pulled her from the glass.
She let out a short laugh, glancing up at him with those killer blue eyes. “That’s a pretty thick piece of glass.”
“Doesn’t make that shark any less dangerous.” He flicked the rim of his hat. “And thanks to that shark, I got to put my arm around you.”
“This is starting to feel like a date.” Her smile was going to be the death of him.
“Nope. Just two friends hanging out, like when we go to dinner tonight.”
“You’re not going to give that up, are you?” As they continued to walk through the tunnel that weaved its way under the shark infested water, her hip swayed, gently smacking against his in a dance his body could never ignore, and his mind didn’t seem to care to protect his heart because he wanted to spend as much time as he could with the sweet Kitty.
“My grandmother taught me to be persistent when I want something.”
“And you want to have dinner with me that bad?”
She stepped away from him as they strolled out of the building. Pulling the sweater over her head, her red locks cascaded down her back.
“I don’t know anyone else in this city, and I’m honestly enjoying your company, but I do understand if you’re busy.”
“I’m not busy,” she said with a smile. “I’ll go to dinner on a couple of conditions.”
“Name them.”
She rested her fingers on his biceps and instinctively he bent his elbow, as his grandmother had taught him.
“I pick the place, and I pay for myself.”
“The second condition might be hard,” he teased. Right now, if she wanted to pay for him, he wouldn’t argue if it meant he got to spend a few more stolen moments in her presence. “The dolphin show is going to start soon. Shall we go to that next?”
“Absolutely.”
He rested his palm over her hand as they wandered down a windy path and through a sea of people bustling about the various exhibits.
“Can I ask you a question?” He always hated it when anyone started a conversation with that question, but he felt as though he needed her permission.
“Sure, but I reserve the right not to answer.”
“I like your style,” he mused, stopping at a penguin station. As a kid, he’d been fascinated by the funny-looking creatures. He’d beg his parents to take him to Alaska so he could see them up close and personal. His parents had little to no money, and the best they could offer had been a stuffed penguin. “Why’d you get divorced?”
“Oh boy, do you come out with the big guns.” She leaned against the fence, staring out at the cool, blue water where the penguins played. “Long story short, Preston lied to me about some of his business dealings and put me in a very uncomfortable situation and when the shit hit the fan, I bugged out.”
“Did you love him?”
She turned, leaning her back against the railing, resting her foot on the bottom rung. Tucking a few strands of her royal-red hair, she tilted her face. Her blue eyes glistened in the sunlight. “I did.”
“He’s crazy to have let you go.”
“I didn’t give him much of a choice,” she said with a serious tone. “And it’s me who everyone thinks is crazy considering I walked away from that marriage with not a single dime of his money, not that he could have given me any at the time.”
“What does that mean?”
A warm breeze caught her hair, rustling it over her face.
He brushed it aside, letting his fingers glide along her cheek in an intimate dance he had no control over.
“I’d really rather not get into that.”
He rubbed his thumb under her eye for a brief moment before looping his arm over her shoulder and guiding her along the path once again. “I can respect that.”
“My turn to ask a question.”
“Same rules you stipulated apply for me.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“Nope. But I was engaged,” he answered honestly. He told himself that he did so because after this week, he’d never see this woman again and not because he cared enough to be honest.
“What happened?”
“She slept with one of my biggest competitors who also happened to be one of my closest friends.”
She gasped, covering her mouth and pausing mid-step. “I think that’s worse than fraud.”
“What kind of fraud?” He arched a brow as he nudged her along, not wanting to be late for the dolphin show, which was the only reason he’d agreed to going to the aquarium over finding a place to hike or at least go for a very long walk.
“My ex was busted for corporate colluding, but he recently had all the convictions overturned.” She took his hand as he helped her along a bench on the very last row of the front section, right in the middle, but just above the splash zone.
“You should have taken his money,” he said softly. He’d never been the kind of man to be overtly judgmental, but after having met her ex, he reserved the right.
“I testified against him.”
He covered hi
s mouth to stifle his laugh. “I shouldn’t be laughing.”
“Laughing is perfectly appropriate three years later.” She covered her eyes with her hand, shielding the sun, giving him a slight smile. "How long since your break-up?”
“A year ago, yesterday.”
“Oh boy,” she muttered. “You’re still not over her.”
“I’m completely over her, but not interested in getting involved with anyone and certainly not putting myself out there to be in a relationship.” He swallowed, realizing how shallow he sounded.
“And yet, you had to have dinner with me tonight.” Her tone was neither accusatory, nor adversarial. But it was flat.
“I like you. I like your company. I’d be an idiot and a liar if I said I didn’t think you were the prettiest woman in any room, but, and I hope you understand, I’m not looking for anything other than friendship. I don’t expect this to go anywhere. Not even a kiss, though I wouldn’t say no to one.”
Her lips parted as her pink tongue darted between them, moistening the plump flesh.
His breath hitched. Why did he have to even bring up the fact that he wanted to kiss her, when he knew damn well he wouldn’t dare. It would be too dangerous because if he did, he’d want more.
She leaned in, pushing the top of his hat back, her hot breath tickling his ear.
“You live in Idaho, and I live here, and I don’t have time for dating since I’m finally on track for getting my degree, but here I am.”
He held his breath, waiting for her lips to touch his skin but instead, she stole his hat, plopping it on her head with a grin from ear to ear.
“No one ever wears my hat,” he said with a low growl. He wanted to lift her up onto his lap and kiss every freckle on her adorable face.
