“A star and a kiss!” Josh insisted. “You always do that.”
Apparently she decided that giving in quickly was better than making a bigger scene by protesting. Standing on tiptoe, she leaned over and gave Boone a quick peck on the cheek.
Her lips were soft and full, and her scent swirled around him. He fought the urge to close his eyes with pleasure. But he needed to keep the moment light, so he grinned at her. “Thanks. Now I’ve been fully rewarded.”
“I do appreciate the room,” she said shyly.
“You’re most welcome. Listen why not stay and eat here? Taking the food back to the room will be a real hassle in this weather.” Well, hell. He seemed determined to dig himself into a hole. If he didn’t watch it, he’d ask for her phone number next.
Fortunately for both of them, she didn’t fall in with his plan. A wary look flashed in her eyes again, and she glanced away. Boone had the strangest feeling she was thinking of some story to explain why she couldn’t stay in the café to eat dinner.
“Bob wants to stay,” Josh said. “’Cause Bob gots to go potty.”
Shelby looked down at him. “I’m sure it won’t take long for them to whip up a couple of burgers and fries. Can Bob wait until we go back to the room?”
Josh held his crotch and peered up at her. “I gots to go, too,” he whispered. “Real bad, Shebby.”
Shebby. Boone heard it, plain as day. No way had the kid said Mommy just then. Shebby was probably his version of her name, Shelby. This wasn’t her son. The word kidnapper flashed in his brain, but he just couldn’t buy it.
She sighed and looked around until she located the sign for the rest rooms. “Okay.” She glanced up at Boone. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll—”
“Do I hafta go in where the ladies go?” Josh hung back, his gaze pleading.
“Yes.” She took his hand firmly in hers.
Josh hung on her hand and tried to plant his feet. “But last time that lady was laughin’ at me.”
“She was laughing at the Cheerios, Josh, not at you. We don’t have to use them this time if you don’t want to. Now come on.”
Boone had to ask. “Cheerios?”
Shelby glanced back at him. “I throw some in the bowl. It gives him a target.”
Josh gazed up at Boone with a worried expression, as if he now expected Boone to laugh, too.
Boone bit down on the inside of his lip so he wouldn’t. “Great idea,” he said, although his voice was husky with the laugh he’d swallowed.
Josh’s expression cleared and his smile came out like sunshine. He pointed a stubby finger at Boone. “Me and him could go.”
Shelby shook her head and tugged on his hand. “No, I’m afraid not, Josh. Now come on.”
“Please,” Josh wailed, hanging back and dragging his feet. “I wanna be a big boy.”
Boone’s heart went out to him. He remembered a few trips to the ladies’ room, himself, when he was a kid. He’d always been tall for his age, so a couple of women had given him the evil eye when his mother had insisted on taking him in with her. He’d hated every minute of it, although now he completely understood why she’d done that. The world had some sick people in it.
“I’d be glad to take him,” Boone said. “I realize you don’t really know me, but—”
“I know you,” Josh said. “You gived us a room. Please, Shebby. Let me and him go.”
Shelby paused. She looked exhausted, frustrated and scared. “Okay,” she said at last. “If you’re willing to do that, I appreciate it. While you’re gone I’ll put in our order. Can I get anything for you while I’m at it? I’d love to be able to buy you some dinner.”
“No, thanks.” Boone had decided that eating would be his main entertainment tonight, and he didn’t want to rush it. “I’m not really hungry yet.”
She seemed even more frustrated that she couldn’t repay him with dinner, but Josh began hopping up and down, so she put the boy’s hand in Boone’s. “Thank you for everything,” she said. “You’ve been a real godsend.”
“Glad to help.” He touched a hand to the brim of his hat, which coaxed a faint smile from her. Then he had to focus all his attention on keeping Josh’s tiny hand in his. Such a small hand. Boone had to lean to the right to keep hold of it as Josh ran along beside him on the way to the rest rooms.
“Do you gots horsies?” Josh sounded breathless but determined to communicate. “’Cause me and Bob, we like horsies. We’re gonna ride some in Yellowstone.”
Boone realized the little guy was puffing because Boone’s stride was too long. He shortened it. “I have two horses,” he said. “One I keep with my friend Sebastian at the Rocking D, and the other one I keep at my folks’ place in Las Cruces.”
“Rocking D? What’s a Rocking D?”
Boone pushed open the swinging door to the rest room. “A ranch.”
“A ranch? You gots a ranch, like on TV?” Josh seemed beside himself with excitement, so beside himself that he’d obviously forgotten why he was in the rest room in the first place.
“Well, it’s not my—”
“Can I come there? Can I?”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now you’d better tend to business.”
“’Kay.” Josh headed for a stall.
“You can do it here if you want,” Boone said as he gestured toward a urinal. “I’ll hold you up.”
Josh turned back to him, his expression confused.
“Come on. I’ll show you. This is how big guys do it.” Boone demonstrated.
Josh watched in obvious fascination.
Boone zipped up and glanced over at Josh. “Ready to try?”
Josh nodded vigorously.
In the end, Boone decided it would work best if he crouched down and let Josh stand on his knees. The little boy chortled happily all through the process, as if it was the highlight of his day.
Boone realized he was having a great time. What fun it would be to show a kid like this around the Rocking D. Sebastian had that gentle gelding, Samson, who would be perfect for Josh to learn on. But that was a pipe dream, for sure. Boone didn’t think Shelby would make a special detour to the Rocking D. She looked like a lady on a mission.
Besides, Boone had no business daydreaming about taking her there. She would be too big a temptation. He’d already caught himself thinking about what sort of body was hidden by the bulky ski jacket she wore, and he was in no position to go down that road with any woman.
As Josh finished washing his hands, he started in again on the topic of visiting the ranch. “I never been to a ranch,” he said. “Can I come? Me and Bob?”
“I imagine you have places to go and people to see,” Boone said.
“Well, we’re gonna see geezers in Yellowstone.” Josh dropped the paper towel neatly in the waste container.
“You mean geysers?” Boone was impressed with the boy’s neatness. Somebody had taught him well.
Josh nodded. “They go whoosh! Up in the air!” He threw his arms up to illustrate.
“Sounds like fun.” Boone decided to do some fishing for information. “Are you going to meet your mommy up there?”
“I don’t think so. My mommy’s in heaven with the angels.”
The casual statement slammed into Boone like a brick to the stomach, but Josh seemed completely at ease about it. Shelby probably wasn’t a kidnapper, not that Boone had seriously thought she was. But she was nervous about something. “Then maybe your dad?”
“Nope.” Josh started marching toward the door of the rest room. “My daddy’s in S’Antonio.”
“Really?” Boone held the door open for Josh.
“Yep.” Josh walked through the door. “He gots a gun.”
SHELBY HAD WATCHED Boone lead Josh away and no warning bells had sounded in her head. Boone inspired trust and a sense of security. She could feel it, and she was sure Josh could feel it, too.
Poor little guy hadn’t had much in the way of male role models. His grandfather had n
ever been particularly interested in kids, not even his own daughters when they were young. Mason had ignored Josh until he’d smelled money, and even with the lure of that money, Mason had a hard time pretending to be a loving dad.
No wonder Josh had latched on to Boone so quickly. Seeing the way Boone abbreviated his long stride to accommodate Josh’s short one made Shelby’s heart hitch.
Not all men brushed children aside the way her father had, she reminded herself. Patricia, the beauty, had eventually gained her father’s admiration by going into the high-profile world of television broadcasting. He and Shelby’s mother had been able to brag about Patricia, who eventually had her own local talk show. Shelby’s modest desktop-publishing business and her more average looks hadn’t been able to compete.
Shelby watched until Boone led Josh away through the swinging door of the men’s room. Then she turned to catch the eye of the waitress working behind the counter. She noticed that her name was Lucy. Shelby’s mother’s name. Another sharp pain sliced through her before she could shut down her feelings.
The woman, who was visibly pregnant, came over toward Shelby. “Can I help you?”
“You sure can. Can I please get two hamburgers and two orders of fries to go?” Shelby knew it wasn’t the most nutritious meal in the world, but she’d worry about getting some green veggies into Josh tomorrow, after they’d put some more miles between them and Mason.
“You and that little boy aren’t going back out on the road, are you?” asked the waitress.
“No, thank goodness. We have a room at the motel, thanks to that gentleman who was just sitting here. He had the last room, but he gave it to us, instead.”
The waitress’s expression grew soft. “Isn’t he the nicest man? He was worried about whether I had a way to get home.”
“Apparently he’s the kind who looks out for others,” Shelby said. “It’s good to know there are still guys out there like that.”
“And he’s pretty darned cute, too, did you notice?”
“I guess.” Shelby thought about the gentle smile that had made her tingle. Oh, yes, she’d noticed. Besides his understanding green eyes, he also possessed a couple of other noteworthy features, like a very masculine-looking jaw and curly black hair. Her heart had raced when she’d leaned over to place a kiss on his suntanned cheek.
He was built well, too. Although some large men tended to look beefy and slightly out of shape, this one didn’t seem to have a spare bit of flab on him. Nice tush, too. Watching him walk away with Josh had given her guilty pleasure.
“It’s a wonder some woman hasn’t snatched him up,” the waitress said. “But he’s not wearing a wedding ring. And he’s the type who would, if he was married.” She glanced pointedly down at the bare ring finger of Shelby’s left hand.
Shelby stuffed her left hand into the pocket of her jacket. The waitress might think she could do a little matchmaking in between serving orders, but whether Boone Connor was married or not was of no consequence to Shelby. She couldn’t think about such things under the current circumstances. Even ogling his cute tush meant she was allowing herself to be distracted from her goal of keeping Josh safe. That wasn’t good.
She leaned closer to the waitress. “Listen, since he’ll have to spend the night in the café, could I leave some money with you to pay for whatever food he eats? I’d like to find some way to repay him for being so kind.”
“I’ll be leaving soon, myself, but I suppose I could arrange that with Mrs. Sloan. Why don’t you just stay and eat your dinner when he eats his? Then you could just pick up the check for everything.”
Shelby trotted out the excuse she’d been about to give Boone. “Well, I would, but Josh has a program he wants to see on TV, so we need to get back to the room.”
The waitress rolled her eyes as if to say that Shelby was crazy to let something like that stand in her way. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” She pulled some bills out of her purse and gave them to the waitress. “That should cover ours and anything he has, don’t you think?”
The waitress looked at the cash Shelby had given her and chuckled. “That’s more than enough. I’ll go put in your order.”
Shelby positioned herself with her back to the counter so she could see the front door of the café. No one had come in for some time, and hardly anyone had left, either. The booths along the wall were still occupied. The place had taken on a party atmosphere, as if being stranded here together had made everyone friends.
Except her. A woman on the run didn’t stop to make friends along the way. Too risky. Boone Connor had helped her out, and she was grateful. Under different circumstances, she would have liked to get to know him, but once she left this café tonight, she never expected to see him again.
She’d driven out of San Antonio without much of a plan except an instinctive urge to head for Yellowstone Park. But she couldn’t stay in Yellowstone. She’d continue north to Canada.
Once out of the country, she’d find a good lawyer and assess her chances of legally keeping Josh. But she’d keep him, legally or illegally, because she knew one thing for sure. No matter what a judge might say, as long as she was alive Mason Fowler was never, ever getting custody of his son.
3
BOONE HATED TO ADMIT how much he missed Josh and Shelby once they’d left the café with their bags of food. But no way would Shelby stay to eat. Something was going on with her, and Boone was afraid he’d never find out what it was.
When he learned that she’d left money to pay for his food, he had half a mind to go over to her room and give it back. Then he recognized that he was only looking for an excuse to see her again, which was a fool’s errand, for sure. He was the sort of guy who needed time to build a relationship, and after tonight, he and Shelby would probably never cross paths again. That was probably just as well.
Still, he couldn’t let Shelby buy his dinner. It didn’t seem right. So he asked Mrs. Sloan to put the money aside for Lucy, who could probably use some extra cash for that baby she’d be having soon.
By eleven the café had emptied out and Boone had his pick of booths, not that one looked any more comfortable than the other. He was on a first-name basis with Norma Sloan and her husband Eugene. The couple reminded him of Jack Sprat who could eat no fat and his wife who could eat no lean. They’d been more than kind, providing a pillow and a blanket to help him through the night.
About eleven-thirty, Norma sent Eugene into the café’s back room to grab a catnap while she kept the coffeepot going. Who they were brewing coffee for was a mystery to Boone, because no other customers showed up. Boone crammed himself into his chosen booth and pulled his hat over his eyes.
When Eugene came out to relieve Norma at one in the morning, Boone unfolded himself from the booth. He didn’t think he’d slept much, and he felt as if he’d been rode hard and put away wet. Stretching the stiffness from his spine, he walked over to the counter.
“Want some java, Boone?” Eugene asked around a yawn.
“No, thanks. But why don’t you go on back to bed and let me take care of anybody who comes in? I doubt anybody will, anyway.”
“That’s a nice offer, but my conscience wouldn’t let me.” Eugene yawned again and poured himself a cup of coffee. “You’re a customer, not my hired help.”
“Speaking of that, who usually mans the counter when you’re open all night? Don’t tell me Lucy works graveyard.”
“Nope.” Eugene unwrapped a sweet roll as he talked. “We have another gal, Edna. She’s older than Lucy and says she likes working nights. Prefers the peace and quiet. But I didn’t want her on the road tonight, so I called and told her to stay home, that we’d handle it. That’s what Norma and I always do when the weather gets like this. We’d rather stay up all night ourselves than worry about an employee skidding all over the road trying to get to work.” He bit into the sweet roll. “Want one?”
“No, thanks.” Boone turned to gaze out the window at the sno
w still falling. “Then how about closing the place until morning?” He glanced back at Eugene. “Nobody but a crazy person is still on that road tonight.”
Eugene smiled. “No can do. Staying open is a matter of pride with me. My daddy used to own this place, and when I took over he made me promise to keep the coffee going twenty-four hours a day. He said we’d never know how many lives we’d saved by giving people a place to pull off the road, get some coffee and a bite to eat, but he figured we’d saved our share.”
“I’ll bet you have, at that.” Boone rubbed his chin and felt the stubble there. He’d grab a shave in the rest room before he left in the morning. “I’ve stopped here myself a few times, when I was feeling groggy. You might even have saved me.”
“And there could be someone else out there battling his way through the storm, and the light from our sign could be a beacon in the night.”
“Like a lighthouse,” Boone said. He could understand Eugene’s urge to save people. He had that sort of urge all the time. That’s why he was sleeping in a booth tonight.
“Exactly,” Eugene said. “A lighthouse. You sure you don’t want some coffee and one of these rolls?”
Boone sighed. “Yeah, why not. I’m not having much luck sleeping, anyway.” And he could tell Eugene wanted somebody to talk to. So he sat at the counter and swapped fishing stories with the guy for a good hour.
He talked so long and grew so tired that sleep sounded like a real possibility, even in a hard plastic booth. But before he could excuse himself from Eugene, the café door opened, bringing with it a blast of frigid air and blowing snow.
Boone swiveled on the stool to see if one of the motel customers had decided to come over for a midnight snack. For one crazy moment he hoped it might even be Shelby. Instead it was someone he didn’t recognize from the crowd that had filled the café earlier that night.
The man was built like a fireplug, short but solid. His ski jacket bulked him out even more, but Boone could tell from the fit of the guy’s jeans that he probably worked out in some fancy gym to build up his muscles.
Boone’s Bounty Page 3
