“You have a man living here…with my daughter? What kind of mother are you?”
That sobered her. She crossed her arms and leveled him with her hardest eff you stare. Beau’s death growl broke the silence on the porch. She kept her mouth closed and didn’t break eye contact with her ex. It was the emotional equivalent of chicken.
Derek swerved first and glanced down at his shoes. “Whatever. Maybe you’ll marry this one so I can get you off my payroll.”
Beau nuzzled her neck. “Nah, we’re just gonna shack up and spend your money, friend. Now run along. I’ve got business with my woman.”
Hailey didn’t know there were so many shades of red, but every one of them bled into Derek’s face. “I’ll leave, but this isn’t over, Hailey.”
She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but with Derek, it couldn’t be good. It never was.
“You and your boy toy enjoy that money while you can.”
“Derek—”
“We will. You take care now.” Beau pulled her out of the doorway and shut the door.
It was all a lie, but for just a moment she enjoyed the look of utter discombobulation on Derek’s face. Take that, jerkwad. She’d never gotten one over on him, and it felt good to win for once.
She turned in Beau’s arms, and her hands landed on his chest, hard, golden, and muscled. Sweet baby Jesus, it’d been a while since she’d had one of these under her fingers. Roger hadn’t been terribly buff—part of his appeal at the time.
The warmth of Beau’s flesh and the tickle of chest hair under her palms made the rest of her body jealous of her hands.
His arms tightened around her, and his minty breath blew against the top of her head.
Time ticked by in the way it does when you’re stretched out on a blanket under the stars. You know it’s been a while, but you just don’t give a damn. With every second that passed, her body prepared itself for him. And his for her, if the hardness pressed against her stomach was any indication.
“Hailey?”
“Yeah.” The word slid out on a breath of sound.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“Thinkin’.”
His long finger crooked under her chin and raised her face to his. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”
“What a bad idea this is.”
His gaze shifted from her mouth to her eyes. “Me too.”
“It’s a horrible idea.” If it was so bad, then why did she rock her pelvis into his?
“Right,” rolled out on a tortured groan.
She blinked against the sparks firing in his eyes. “So we should stop.”
“Yeah.” But his hands stayed firmly planted to the skin at her lower back.
She wasn’t any better. Her arms were around his neck, and she’d plastered herself to him like a bloodthirsty wood tick. “This isn’t smart.”
“Dumber than dumb.” His fingers slipped below the waistband of her pants. “I don’t want any entanglements or obligations. And you’ve made it clear how you feel about me.”
“Yes, you’re not for me…at ahhh…” All! She’d meant all, but his exploration of her backside made it hard to choose the right words.
He rested his forehead against hers. “So why are we still like this?”
“We’re weak?” She pulled his scent deep into her lungs. “It’s the only explanation.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He raised his head from hers, and it took him two attempts before his voice worked. “Alone we’re weak, but together we can fight this thing…that we both don’t want.”
A quick nod. “Right, we don’t want this.” With all her might she tried to turn her brain back on and extinguish her desire. “On the count of three, we step away from each other and never speak of it again.”
He sucked a deep breath in, blew it out, then stretched his neck from side to side. “Okay.”
“One.” She curled her finger into his hair.
“Two.” He tightened his hold on her.
“Three,” they said together and stepped apart.
The only sound in the room was the combined huffing and puffing of air moving in and out of their chests. Her girly parts were also throwing a wall-eyed fit. But, thankfully, he couldn’t hear that.
He grabbed his hair and yanked it off his face. “You okay?”
“Okay with what?”
He pointed to himself then to her. “With this.”
Her features hardened. “Never speak of it again.”
“Oh, yeah, right.” He chuckled.
“I’m not kidding, Beau.” She stuck her finger in his face. “This never happened.”
He held his hands in the air. “Got it.”
“Good.” She and her fit-throwing libido exited the room without a backward glance.
Beau unpacked his bag and put his clothes on the shelves in the closet. How had he ended up living above Hailey Odom’s garage? The reason stretched and groaned in the corner of the room where he’d placed the dog’s bed. “It’s okay, buddy. I don’t blame you…much.”
The irony of the whole situation was that thanks to Clyde’s careful financial planning and a ridiculously large life insurance policy, he had more than enough money to buy his own damn house if he wanted. He just wasn’t sure whether he wanted to buy in Zachsville or not. He still had hopes of moving to Nashville someday. Plus, he was about to begin touring, and all he needed was something temporary at the moment.
He glanced around the small room. Hailey said she’d had a service come in and deep clean after she kicked Derek out of the house, but maybe he should repeat the process. Much like Lottie, he did not want that douchebag’s cooties.
What kind of man talks to the mother of his child like Derek spoke to Hailey? It burned him up to think about it, even though he was pretty pissed at his landlady at the moment.
She’d pulled a wall down and acted like nothing had happened between them. It didn’t seem to matter that he’d said he didn’t want to start up anything with her. Or that the logical side of him knew it was a bad idea to screw around with her. Not the least of which was he was living in her backyard. That could get messy quick.
Still, Hailey putting that barrier between them annoyed the shit out of him. Women didn’t walk away from him. Good thing he didn’t want to start something with her, because he had no idea how to woo a female. He was nearly thirty years old and had never had to chase a woman. Arrogant? Maybe, but it was the truth.
Walter whined in the short entryway to the apartment. “You need to go outside, boy?”
He grabbed the leash and the dog’s ball, and they made their way down the stairs to the backyard. As soon as they were at the bottom of the stairs, he unclipped the leash and let the animal run free. Walter was old enough and well trained enough not to run off, and even if he did, he’d stop if Beau called him.
He threw the ball to Walter for several minutes. Then the back screen slammed, and Lottie came running outside with her black pigtails flying. “Walter!” She slapped her hands on her knees. “Come here, Walter.”
The dog forgot the ball and the master who’d raised him from a pup, fed him every damn day, was now living in a square box for him, and took off toward the girl.
Beau picked up the slobbery ball Walter had failed to retrieve. “He likes you.”
Lottie ignored him, laughed, and dodged the pup’s long pink tongue. The whole time she never stopped rubbing his ears. “You’re such a good boy. Yes, you are. Yes, you are.”
He made his way to the dog and girl. He dropped to one knee beside Walter and scratched the animal’s back. “Did you hear me? I said he likes you.”
“I heard you.” She never took her attention from the dog. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
The same air of aloofness rolled off her that rolled off her mother, and it annoyed him just as much as when Hailey did it. “I’m not exactly a stranger. You’ve known me for three months. I’m living in your backyard.”
She fiddled w
ith the vet tag on Walter’s collar. “I guess, but I don’t really know you. You’ve never taken me to the park or a movie or to get ice cream like my Uncle Hank has.”
He bit back a smile. He knew a con artist when he met one. “You know, you’re right. I haven’t. Tell you what, the next time Walter and I go to the park, we’ll see if your mama will let you come with us.”
What? Where had that come from?
A bright spark of hope flashed in her eyes, but it was gone as quick as it appeared. She shrugged. “I guess that’s okay.”
“Just okay?” The resemblance to Hailey was strong, but there was no denying she was that tool of a father’s kid too.
Her fingers played with the short hairs above Walter’s eyes. “If I’m not busy, I guess I could go.”
“Alright then, that almost sounds like a plan.” He stood and clipped the leash back onto Walter’s collar. “I better take this guy for his walk now. I’ll see ya around.”
She stood and brushed her knees off. “Yeah, I guess. Um… When will you take Walter to the park again?”
He did grin then. “I’ll probably take him tomorrow. Should I check with you before we go?”
“Yes.” She skipped up the stairs and disappeared into the house.
He scrubbed Walter’s ears. “Looks like we have a date tomorrow, Walt. How the hell did that happen?”
Walter barked, then whined and tried to drag him toward Hailey’s back door.
He laughed and led the dog toward the front of the house. “You’ve got it bad, dog.”
Chapter Eleven
“Hailey, Derek called to tell me you’re shackin’ up with Beau Callen. What the hell is going on?” Sheriff Hank Odom whisper-yelled in Hailey’s kitchen.
“Derek made an assumption. And since when do you listen to anything your brother says?” Ice cubes clinked as they dropped into the glasses.
“I listen to him when he’s concerned about Lottie.”
“Oh, please.” She poured steeped tea into a pitcher then added water. “You know this isn’t about Lottie. It’s about Derek trying to control every little thing.”
“So Beau’s not living here?” Hank sat back with relief all over his face.
“Yes. I mean, no.” She stirred sugar into the tea. “He’s living in the slut hut.”
Hank plowed his fingers through his hair. “Hailey, have you lost your mind? You don’t even know him. He’s a stranger.”
“That’s not true, Hank Odom, and you know it,” Hank’s wife Charlie said. “We’ve all known Beau since he moved to town three months ago. For heaven’s sake, he’s played poker with you guys for the last two months.” She rocked their four-month-old daughter, Phoebe, in her arm and shook her head. “He’s a stranger. I swear.”
Hailey grinned at Charlie when she handed her a glass of iced tea. Her best friend’s Texas accent was thick as molasses. Eight years in Hollywood hadn’t been able to take the Texas out of the girl. “Thank you, Charlie, for being the voice of reason.”
Hailey slid a glass in front of the worried man and took a seat at the kitchen table next to him. “Relax, Hank. It’s not like he’s even going to be around Lottie that much.”
Her ex-brother-in-law leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “At least let me run a background check on him.”
“Can I stop you, Sheriff?”
Hank shook his head. “Not really, but it’d be great if we had fingerprints, then I could run them through the system.”
Charlie patted Phoebe’s back. “Hank, you were saying what a great guy Beau was just last week.”
“That was before Hailey decided to let him live with her.”
“Oh, for the love… He’s not living with me. He’s living in the slut hut. There’s a difference.”
“That’s not what people are going to say.” Hank played with the condensation on his iced tea glass. “I’m not just trying to protect Lottie, but you too.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what the good folks of Zachsville think of me.” But she could taste the lie. She only hoped Hank and Charlie didn’t hear it. “And we both know they can’t think much worse than they already do.”
“They’re just stupid, small-minded people, Hailey.” Charlie sat in the chair across from her. “You didn’t get pregnant by yourself. Derek was as responsible as you.”
“More.” The anger in Hank’s tone hung like a mushroom cloud over them. “He was older, and I know he pressured you, then when he couldn’t handle the news and lost the State Championship, it was completely unfair for the town to blame you. That was his own damn fault.”
She traced the lines of one palm with the fingers of her other hand. “Maybe, but I’m the one no one can forgive.”
Hank leaned over and squeezed her shoulder. “But attitudes are changing. You’ve won over a lot of the town with your volunteer work, and raising money for the new ambulance is going above and beyond.”
She plastered on a smile. “We’re close on that one. The fundraising account is really bringing in the donations.”
Charlie sipped her beverage. “Yes, and the nonprofit you’re planning for breast cancer in your mom’s memory is awesome. The last time I was at the Dip-n-Do—”
“I still can’t believe you get your hair cut there.” Hailey examined Charlie’s beautiful golden locks. “You’re lucky you’re not bald.”
“I like going there. It makes me feel like part of the community.”
“Have you noticed that most everybody in town has the same hairdo? It’s because Maureen only knows how to cut one style.”
Charlie waved away the comment. “Anyway, I mentioned it at the Dip-n-Do, and everyone thought the idea of a nonprofit in your mom’s name was a lovely idea.” Charlie chewed her lip. “I hope it was okay that I talked about it.”
“It’s fine.” Hailey sipped her tea. “I just have to find the time to fill out the necessary paperwork and get a board of directors in place.”
“You know you can count on me to sit on the board.” Her friend smiled.
“Thank you, Charlie. My mom would’ve loved that.”
The back door slammed shut, and Lottie streaked through the kitchen. “Beau’s taking me to the park tomorrow!” she yelled as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom.
The three adults in the kitchen stared after her.
“Are you kidding me? Not going to be around her much, huh?” Hank’s cop face was one big accusation.
Hailey blinked twice then found her voice. “Lottie Odom, get back here.”
Lottie skipped back into the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her daughter’s cold, proper tone irritated her. She’d been doing it since she told her she ruined everything. “What do you mean Beau’s taking you to the park tomorrow?”
“He said he’d take me to the park the next time he and Walter go, and they’re going tomorrow.” Guilt was smeared all over Lottie’s smile.
Hailey leaned back in her chair and played with the end of a placemat. “Uh-huh. What did you say to him?”
“I said yes. May I be excused?”
This kid. “Before you said yes, and before he asked you to go to the park, what did you say?”
Lottie reached over and played with Phoebe’s socked foot. “I, um… I might’ve told him he was a stranger, and that I couldn’t talk to him because of that.”
“Beau’s not a stranger, Lottie. We’ve known him for months.” There was more to this story. Hailey knew it.
“But he hasn’t even taken me to the park or the movies or to get ice cream like Uncle Hank does.”
Hailey bit the inside of her lip to keep the smile from her face. “Did you say that to him?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Lottie’s milk chocolate eyes meet hers. “Yes. That’s what I said.”
Hank dropped his head into his hand, clearly trying to hide his amused face, but there was no hiding his shaking shoulders. Charlie coughed to cover her la
ughter, and not very convincingly considering she used to be a big-time actor.
Hailey could only shake her head. This kid was such a con artist. “Lottie, you manipulated Beau into taking you to the park. That’s not a very nice thing to do.”
“Uh-uh.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “He wanted to take me. Just ask him.”
“I plan to talk to Beau about this the next time I see him.”
“Talk to Beau about what?” The deep timbre of The Heartbreaker’s voice made every hair on Hailey’s body do a little shimmy. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.
It’d been an hour since he had his hands on her, and still, the sensation of barreling down the highway in a bright red Ferrari lingered on her skin. She worked to get moisture in her throat. “It appears my daughter has conned you.”
He pushed off the wall and made his way to Lottie, who was chewing a hole in her bottom lip. His big hand came down on her shoulder, and she visibly relaxed. “Lottie only pointed out that I’ve failed in my duty of getting to know her. What little girl doesn’t need a trip to the park every now and again?”
“And the movies and the ice cream shop,” Lottie added.
“Don’t push your luck, kid,” Beau said out of the corner of his mouth.
“Okay.” She turned to Hailey. “May I be excused now?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks, Beau.” She shot out of the room while she was still ahead. She wasn’t stupid. She knew when to cut and run.
Beau gave Hailey a knowing smile, and she thought she should take a page from her daughter’s book and cut and run herself. She crossed her arms against the hormonal assault from Beau’s half-smile. “It’s very nice of you to offer to take her to the park, but in the future, you should clear those things with me.”
His hands went into his front pockets. “You’re right. I should’ve talked to you first. It won’t happen again.”
“Thank you. Would you like a glass of iced tea?”
“Sure.” Beau dropped into the empty chair at the table. “I mean, you can’t be too careful. I could be a serial killer for all you know.” He chuckled. “Am I right, Sheriff?”
Running After a Heartbreaker (Brides on the Run #4) Page 8
