by Beau Brown
“Okay.” He bolted down the hall to his bedroom.
I stood and as I walked out of the bathroom, I almost ran into Jake. We both stopped awkwardly. “Sorry,” I said, breathlessly.
“No problem,” he muttered, eying my sopping wet shirt. “Was it you or Avery taking a bath?”
“The jury’s out on that.” I laughed.
“I never was much good at bathing the kid.”
“Bath time is challenging.” I shifted uneasily. “Well, I’d better go change.”
“That’s right. You have a hot date tonight.” His tone was emotionless.
My face warmed. “It’s just a movie.”
“None of my business what it is.” He moved past me, brushing against me ever so slightly.
I tried to ignore his alluring alpha scent, and the hard feel of his shoulder, but it wasn’t easy. When I got to my room I changed out of my wet jeans and shirt. I was nervous about my date with Tex. I liked him, and found him attractive, but I was nervous because I was still in heat. I didn’t always think straight during this time and I usually avoided going out with anyone. I’d only agreed to this date because Jake had made me feel so bad about myself. It had been nice to have Tex give me attention and make me feel like I was attractive.
I went into Avery’s room once I was changed. He was in his bed with a big book propped on his lap. He smiled when he saw me. “Will you read to me?”
Glancing at my watch, I saw I didn’t have very long before Tex was supposed to arrive. “I don’t think I have time.”
His mouth drooped. “Oh.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe your daddy can read to you tonight.” I’d never seen Jake read a bedtime story to Avery, but that didn’t mean he never had.
“Papa won’t do it. He’s too tired at night.” He turned a couple of pages, looking grumpy. “Why do you have to go out? Can’t you just stay here with us?”
“It’s nice to go out with other grownups sometimes.” I kissed the top of his head. “But I’ll come give you a kiss goodnight when I get back.”
“But I’ll be asleep.”
“I know.”
He grabbed my hand. “You’re not going get married to Tex, right?”
My face warmed. “What? Why would you say that?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t want you to go live with him instead of us.” He frowned. “I don’t want you to like Tex more than Papa.”
I grimaced. “Oh, this isn’t anything serious. I’m just going out to have fun.”
“Papa should try to be more fun. Then you won’t leave us.”
My chest hurt at his worried little voice. “Avery, why are you so concerned about me leaving?”
He pushed his lower lip out. “I just don’t want you to go, that’s all. People always leave.”
I sat down next to him and I put my arm around his shoulders. “I don’t plan on leaving. I like it here with you and… with your papa.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
He sighed. “Okay.” He looked up at me, his brown eyes warm. “Papa hardly yells anymore now that you’re here. And he smiles more.”
“Does he?”
“Uh, huh.” He nodded, bending the edge of one of the pages distractedly. “I don’t want it to go back to how it was.” His voice was soft.
“Let’s not worry about that, okay? I’m here and I don’t plan on going away any time soon.”
“Okay.”
I heard a car pull up outside of the house and I assumed it was Tex. I gave Avery a kiss on his forehead and then I stood. “Promise to only have good dreams?”
“Promise.” Avery smiled.
I pointed my finger at him. “I mean it.”
His smile widened. “I know.”
“Okay.” I patted his head and I left his room, hurrying down the stairs to the back door.
Jake was in the kitchen at the table with a pile of papers and a calculator. He glanced up when he saw me. “Is Lover Boy here?”
Frowning at him, I opened the door. Tex stood there looking sexy in tight jeans and a fitted black T-shirt.
“Howdy.” I smiled as his aftershave hit my nose, causing my pulse to flutter slightly. He was definitely an attractive man.
Giving a soft whistle, he ran his gaze up and down my body. “I’m the luckiest alpha in Texas tonight.”
Jake gave a snort from the table.
I ignored Jake and tried to concentrate on Tex. “Shall we go?”
“You betcha.” Tex stepped aside.
I glanced over my shoulder. “See you later,” I said to Jake.
He merely grunted and didn’t look up from his bills.
The air was still warm as I stepped outside, and the sound of cicadas filled the night. We made our way to his truck. He held the door for me and I climbed in as gracefully as possible, then he moved around to the driver side and slid in. He backed out of the driveway and swung around to head toward the main highway.
“Did Jake give you a hard time about tonight?” he asked.
“He barely said two words to me.” My voice wobbled as we bounced down the dirt road.
He shot me a quick glance. “I don’t think he was none too happy about me taking you out.”
“It’s not like it’s his business.”
“Nope.”
I stared out into the black night. Off in the distance the lights of the town twinkled and I allowed myself to feel excited about getting out of the house. “I haven’t gone into town since I’ve been here.”
“Two weeks cooped up in that house with nobody but Avery and Jake? How are you still sane?”
“Who said I am?”
The orange glow from the dashboard lit his smiling features. “Fair enough.”
“I’m very fond of Avery.”
“He’s a great kid.”
I fiddled with the vent. “It couldn’t have been easy on Jake all these years.”
“No. It’s been rough. The parade of nannys in and out of that ranch has been quite a spectacle.”
“Why do you think it is none of them ever stay past two months?”
“Ask me that again in two months.”
I laughed. “I mean, it’s very isolated. But it’s not like that’s a surprise. The advertisement makes it clear this is out in the boonies. And Avery is a wonderful child.”
“I’ll just tackle the elephant in the room and say Jake is probably the reason no one wants to stay on long term. He’s a hard man.”
Even though I agreed with him, for some reason his critical tone bugged me. “Well, he’s been handed a difficult job.”
“Definitely.”
“He could have dropped Avery off with Child Services and washed his hands of the whole situation. I admire that he didn’t take the easy road.”
“Agreed.”
I thought about Jake sitting at the kitchen table all alone tonight, surrounded by piles of unpaid bills. “Do you think he can turn it around?”
“You mean the ranch?”
“Yes.”
He sighed. “I think so. If he fails it won’t be for lack of trying.”
I sighed. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”
“You’re doing it already. You’ve taken the worry of his kid off of him and now he’s more focused on the ranch.”
“Let’s hope it’s enough.”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I don’t find Jake fascinating, but how about we talk about you for a while instead?”
I laughed stiffly. “Sure.”
“Where’d you grow up?”
“In Sweet Water. I left for a few years because my job takes me around the country. But I decided I wanted to live on a ranch again, so I answered Jake’s ad.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“I’m twenty-six.”
A silence fell and then I asked casually, “How old is Jake?”
He laughed. “How did we get back on Jake as the subj
ect?”
My face warmed. “I’m just curious.”
“I believe he’s about forty-two-ish.”
I nodded. “He seems older.”
“Definitely. He wasn’t always like this. He used to be fun. But after Felix died he kind of changed.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yeah.” He huffed. “Jesus, we’re literally going to spend the entire night talking about Jake if we don’t make a concerted effort not to.”
I chuckled at his frustrated tone. “Nice weather we’re having.”
He smiled. “I guess I understand why he’s on your mind. You live with the guy.”
Shifting my body toward him, I sighed. “Tell me about yourself. Have you lived in Sweet Water all your life?”
“Yep. Born and raised. My dad owned a ranch and I worked on it most of my life, but he sold it a few years back to pay off some medical bills. Plus he took my mom on the dream cruise to the Bahamas she’d always wanted.”
“You didn’t want him to leave the ranch to you?”
“Oh, God no.” He grimaced. “I love working on a ranch, but running one takes all the fun out of it. Besides, I have two younger brothers and he’d have had to try and decide who to leave it to without insulting the other two siblings. But luckily, none of us wanted to own the ranch.”
I bit back what I’d been about to say because I’d been about to bring up Jake again. “Um, yeah. Anytime you’re in charge it sucks.”
“It does. But I love it here in Sweet Water. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“When I traveled, to some extent, I did miss Sweet Water.” My thoughts drifted to what had happened with my dad. “But I needed to get away for a time, if only to remind myself that my past doesn’t define my future.”
“That’s deep.” He sounded amused.
“That’s me. I’m quite the philosopher.”
“I assume you managed to come to grips with things? Otherwise you probably wouldn’t have moved back.” His tone was respectful, but curious.
“Let’s just say that I figured out, while you can change your circumstances, you might never be able to change some people’s minds.”
He nodded. “That’s very true.”
We’d finally reached the outskirts of town and he slowed the vehicle, looking for a parking spot. It was Friday and the streets were busy with couples holding hands and teenagers moving in self-conscious groups down the sidewalk. He somehow snagged a great space near the movie theater and we got out and headed toward the brick building.
“I hope you like scary movies?” He held the door for me.
I slipped past him, inhaling the buttery scent of freshly popped popcorn. “I love all kinds of movies.”
We got some snacks and beverages and went to find seats. The only empty spots were really close to the front of the theater, but we didn’t really have a choice. The movie ended up being more silly than scary, but I still enjoyed it. I didn’t even mind that halfway through; Tex put his arm around my shoulders. Ever since that conversation with Jake a few days ago I’d felt pretty shitty about myself. It was wonderful to get away from the ranch where I could feel like an attractive, desirable omega again. Tex was just what I needed; fun, complimentary and sexy.
Once the movie ended we went to have a drink at the Sweet Water Cantina. I hadn’t been inside the place in years. They’d completely remodeled, but had still managed to keep the quaint, rustic feel. The walls were brown canvas with wagon wheels hung over each booth and oak casks used for the base of all the tables.
After the waitress delivered our drinks, Tex held up his beer. “To making new connections.”
I bumped my martini against his bottle. “Absolutely.”
We were quiet for a moment as we tasted our drinks, and his gaze was open and admiring. “I can’t believe someone like you answered Jake’s ad.”
I set my glass down. “Why?”
He raised his brows. “If you could have seen some of the real winners he’s had over the years, you wouldn’t ask that.”
“His ranch is pretty isolated. It takes a certain type of person to be cool with that.”
“But you are.”
“Yes.” I dropped my gaze.
He tapped his finger against his beer. “I’m not going to lie; I’m curious about you.”
“Are you?”
“I have to wonder why someone your age would be fine hiding away on a ranch out in the boonies all day, every day.”
“You work there too, you know.”
“Yeah, but I go home in the evening.”
“I live where I work, that’s all. But I’m there because it’s my job.”
He nodded, looking unconvinced. “Jake hinted at some stuff the other day.”
My stomach dropped. “About me?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of hints?”
“About your family.”
Clenching my jaw, I growled, “He has no business poking his nose in my personal life.”
“Agreed. But he did all the same.”
“Unbelievable,” I grumbled.
Clearing his throat he said, “I was making light of things earlier, but Jake really didn’t want me taking you out.”
“I don’t get why he’d care.” Jake had made it obvious I was no better than the dirt under his feet. Why the hell was he trying to screw things up for me with other people?
“I don’t know what exactly it is you don’t want known, but he made it clear there’s something in your past.”
I picked up my glass and drank half of my martini. Then I set the glass down and met his uneasy gaze. “If you want to ask me something, just go ahead and ask.”
He gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe I should just shut up.”
“No.” I shrugged. “Thanks to Jake, now probably all you can think about is what my little secret might be.”
“I asked you out because I like you. Not so I could pump you for information.”
“But he’s planted a seed. I can see it festering in your brain as we sit here.”
His face seemed flushed. “I told him I didn’t care about your past. If that means anything.”
I attempted to stuff down my frustration. “I’m glad.”
He took a long pull from his beer and then he leaned forward. “Why the hell do we always end up talking about Jake?”
I smiled in spite of myself. “I have no idea because I’m pretty pissed off at him right now.”
He laughed, but then his expression became more serious. “I’m really attracted to you, but I don’t want to sleep with you.”
“Uh… Thanks?” I grimaced.
He pinched the skin between his eyes. “Jesus, this has to be the worst date you’ve ever been on.”
My lips twitched. “I’ve been on worse. One guy forgot his wallet once. A fact he only let me know after he’d ordered two bottles of really expensive wine.”
Grinning, some tension left Tex’s features. “What I’m trying to say is I usually try and get my dates in bed right away. But I would rather take my time with you.”
“And then you’ll try and get me in bed?”
“Naturally.” He snorted. “I am an alpha after all.”
I was surprised to realize, despite all the talk about Jake, I was enjoying spending time with Tex. His easygoing nature relaxed me. “I don’t sleep with guys on my first date anyway, so we’re good.”
“Okay. Then no pressure on either of us. We can just enjoy getting to know each other tonight and go from there.”
“Sounds good.”
The rest of the evening we both made an effort to avoid the topic of my surly employer. Tex had a good sense of humor and the conversation was funny and light. He didn’t press me again about my past, and by the time he drove me back to the ranch, I was a little tipsy and in a great mood.
He walked me to the door and I hesitated before letting myself into the house. “Thanks for a wonderful evening. I needed it.” I smiled.
/>
“Me too.” He leaned in closer, his gaze on my mouth. “Can I kiss you?”
I licked my lips, my pulse skittering slightly. “I guess.”
He cupped my face and pressed his mouth to mine, his tongue caressing my lips, but not forcing them open. It had been a long time since a good looking alpha kissed me, and I was a little embarrassed when a tiny whimper escaped me. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss and I didn’t object. The kiss was nice, not earth shattering, but definitely enjoyable.
He lifted his head and smiled down at me. “You have sweet dreams now, Hunter.”
“I’m sure I will.” I turned and slipped my key into the lock, but before I could open the door, it swung wide and Jake stood there looking irritable.
His hair was messy and sticking up in places, and he wore a T-shirt and boxers. “It’s almost two in the morning,” he growled. “You have to be up in a few hours to make breakfast.” His surly gaze settled on Tex. “And you need to be at work by five.”
Tex grunted and reacted way quicker than me. “Gee, thanks for the reminder, dad.”
My face was hot and I had no idea what to say. I was a grownup and he had no right to chastise me for staying out late. I’m sure my feelings on the subject were clearly written on my face as I gave a stiff laugh. “Were you waiting up for me?”
He clenched his jaw. “No. Of course not. I just couldn’t sleep.”
Tex still hovered behind me, and I had a feeling his presence only made things worse. I turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure you don’t want me to stay?” He gave Jake an irritated glance.
“No. I’ve got this.”
He exhaled and moved toward his car. “You’re out of line, Jake. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you lately, but you need to get yourself under control.”
Jake stood on his tip-toes so he could call out over my head toward Tex. “I don’t need any lectures from you on how to behave.”
Tex shook his head and climbed into his car. The engine roared to life and he took off down the dirt road.
I pushed past Jake, feeling pissed off. He closed the door, and I faced him with my arms crossed. “I’m not your kid. I’m twenty-four years old. I don’t need a babysitter.”
