When We Met: A Small Town Single Dad Romance

by Shey Stahl

“Kacy Conner.” I swallow, feeling like they’re about to ask me a bunch of questions. Having them this close, I can tell Tara is their mother. While the older one has her dad’s dark eyes and hair, her face is the spitting image of Tara. The younger one has Tara’s blonde hair and eyes, but everything else is Barron.

  The older one takes my hand in hers. “I’m Camdyn Rose Grady. Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Nice to meet you, Camdyn.”

  The blonde one with messy curls in her face half smiles. “You’re drooling.”

  Shit. I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth. “Whoops. Guess I slept really good.”

  The little one sits next to me and touches my hair. “I Sev. I likes your hair.”

  “Thank you. I like your curls.”

  “I grew them,” she whispers, twirling them around her fingers like a string. “Where you come from?”

  “California.”

  Camdyn smiles. “Where’s that?”

  “On the coast.”

  “What’s a coast?”

  Before I can answer Camdyn, the door opens, and in walks Barron, cheeks flushed from the cold, covered in snow, and looking like the hottest countryman I’ve ever seen. I stare. Like deer in the headlights. Ha. I know that look now too. Rest in peace, Buck.

  Wearing a beanie cap, his hair peeks out the side and back. He yanks it off, snow falling from his shoulders as he stomps his feet at the door. “Girls, leave Kacy alone.” Peeling his jacket away, he shakes it out and then hangs it on a hook near the door.

  My heart leaps at the way he says my name in the Southern drawl, and I’m dying to run up to him so I can smell him.

  The girls jump up, running toward him. “Can we go play in it?” Camdyn asks.

  “After you eat something and get dressed.” He looks down at the kids at his feet, both staring up at him like he’s ten feet tall and promising them the world. You know, he’s probably one of the ones who keep their promises, unlike the men in my life. “Then I have to head up to the shop.”

  The girls take off to their room, but Camdyn halts her steps, and Sev runs right into her back. They both fall to the ground. Camdyn peels herself from the ground. “Do I have school?”

  A chuckle leaves Barron’s lips. “No. We can barely get out of the driveway.”

  “Yes!” she yells, heading toward her room.

  And then I’m left alone with him. Straightening out my shirt, I stand up and try to comb my hair with my hands. He smirks, noticing, and steps inside the house, setting his gloves on the fireplace mantel. Our eyes meet, hold, and then he breathes lightly, as if deciding on his words. The silence hanging between us is an all-encompassing quietness I’m not used to. I’m used to orders and demands, not attention from someone obviously curious as to why I’ve shown up in his life.

  He swallows, a smirk forming. “Sorry about them. We don’t get visitors often.”

  “That’s okay.” I unintentionally step toward him. He eyes me carefully, and if I had to guess, he’s just as intrigued by me as I with him. “They’re so cute.”

  “They’re a fuckin’ handful is what they are.” He laughs under his breath and then nods to the kitchen, distancing himself from me. “There’s coffee if you’d like some.” He raises an eyebrow. “Do girls from California drink coffee?”

  “I’m not from California. I was just born and raised there.” Instinctively, I step closer, unable to allow space between us. “And yes, I’d love some coffee.”

  He stares at me as if he doesn’t understand what I said. He probably doesn’t. I follow him into the kitchen area and take the cup he hands me. “If you’re born and raised there, that generally means you’re from there.”

  I wrap my hands around the cup. “Sure, but my soul doesn’t belong there.”

  His eyes move to mine and then back to the coffee pot. “Where does it belong?”

  “South.”

  There’s a flicker of amusement on his face as he pours the coffee into my cup. Warmth hits my palms, steam rising and obscuring my view of his beautiful face. “It’s been my experience that everything is better in the South.”

  “I’m not sure I’d go with better yet.” There’s a screech of cries in the other room and a door slamming shut, followed by little-girl screams. Barron shakes his head, blowing out a breath as he lifts the cup in his hand to his lips. “They’re eighteen months apart and never get along.”

  I smile, thinking of the imaginary sister I had growing up. “Only child here. My sibling was make-believe, and I dreamed up fights between us and acted them out as if we were really having them.”

  He stares at me. And by the look on his face, his thoughts are something like, “this bitch be crazy as fuck.”

  Fun fact, he’s right. I am. California does that to you.

  “So… you think you can get my car out of the side of your building?” I ask, trying to break the silence between us. I’m not sure if it’s that he thinks I’m crazy, or he’s worried his kids might be boxing in the other room.

  His attention shifts to the cries. “Yeah, I can.” He motions with a flick of his hand to the hallway. “I better go check on them.” Without another glance my way, he moves away.

  Taking a drink of the coffee, I smile for reasons I don’t understand. What the fuck am I doing here? Why am I here?

  Okay, I know why, but still, why is my heart aching to stay?

  I’m a hoarder of memories, and the ones I seek to outrun, they wouldn’t find me here.

  Or will they?

  When he returns to the room, he’s holding Sev by her legs, upside down. “What did I tell you about biting people?”

  “Not to.” She giggles, her hair bouncing with every move.

  “Then why do you keep biting your sister?” He sets her on the counter and stands in front of her, the epitome of a stern father warning his daughter.

  It’s the hottest image I’ve ever seen in my life. Rugged hotness. His back blocks my view of his daughter, who’s on the counter, swinging her legs and laughing at her daddy trying to have a serious conversation with her.

  “I like blood,” she tells him, almost matter of fact.

  “You don’t bite. It’s mean,” he warns. “You keep biting people, I’m going to have your teeth pulled.”

  “Take ’em.” She laughs in his face. “I not need ’em.”

  His chest shakes with laughter. “You’re impossible.”

  I can’t help but laugh at them. They’re so freaking cute. Never in my life would I have imagined the guy Tara swore was too country, too much of a Texas boy to give her what she wanted, and the one standing before me to be the same guy.

  Barron lets her off the counter and turns to face me, his arms crossed over his chest. “Still think they’re cute?”

  I smile, my cheeks warm. “Absolutely.”

  There’s a knock on the door, and Sev takes off toward it. “Uncle!”

  Uncle? Oh, right. The other man from last night. I don’t know who the parents are of these brothers, but they must be beautiful humans. I’ve met a lot of beautiful people in my life, but they’re all ugly underneath their skin.

  “Uncle, this boy told me that if you throw hot water in the sky, it will freeze. Can we try?”

  Morgan smiles down at Camdyn, who’s stepping on both his boots and holding onto his hands as he walks inside.

  “Let’s try.” He picks her up into his arms. “It’s negative four out there.”

  Holy shit. Negative degrees and Barron was out there shoveling snow? Every man I know wouldn’t have the balls to do that. They’d hire someone.

  I stiffen, unsure what the reaction will be to me being in his house. “How long do you think it’s going to take with my car? I could… call a tow truck or something like that.”

  Barron turns his head and looks at me over his shoulder when the girls move to the stove. There’s no emotion on his face. “I can take care of it.”

  I bet you can, cowboy.

  I don’t
get a chance to say anything before Morgan bumps my shoulder with his. I met him last night as he was peeling Buck off my hood.

  Morgan winks at me. “Thanks for filling my freezer.”

  Your brother could fill me.

  Jesus Christ. What’s wrong with me? Did I hit my head harder than I thought?

  Barron’s eyes slide to mine as he leans into the counter. His eyes leisurely rake down my body, and I think maybe he might be thinking the same thing.

  Why this town? Why him?

  And the talk of every conversation I’m about to have today.

  BARRON

  Don’t think about her.

  Do.

  Not.

  Think.

  About.

  Her.

  Guess what? I totally am. In fact, I’m actively, obsessively, thinking about her. And the more I try, the harder it is to redirect my thoughts. I wonder things like what color her panties are and what she likes for dinner.

  For hours this morning, I think about all the things I want to do to her and can’t. Shouldn’t.

  I feed cattle. I lay out more hay. I play with the girls in the snow, freeze my ass off, and watch Kacy stare at the snow as though she’s never seen it before—all the while, I can’t stop her from entering my brain.

  And now I’m here, at the shop, still thinking. Contemplating. Arguing with myself that I don’t need to know the color of her panties. I don’t, right? Please say yes because I don’t know how to function. I feel like a damn teenager again, like when I finally took an interest in Tara and couldn’t go an hour without thinking of her naked. Well, fuck Tara and screw these thoughts. I’m not thinking about her.

  I stare at the space she occupies in the office. I bet they’re red. Maybe pink. Black?

  Fuck!

  “Her car hurts,” Sev mumbles, staring at it.

  “Don’t touch anything,” I remind her, a conversation we’ve had every day in this shop since she was old enough to walk and try to grab things. Remember when I said I’ve called poison control on her a number of times? Most have occurred in here. I made good friends with OSHA, believe me. And I’m really good at hiding my kids in storage closets when they show up.

  With a handful of tools she’s already collected from my toolbox, Sev won’t look at me when she sighs. “I not.”

  I call bullshit.

  “Damn.” Jace whistles, yanking his beanie cap down over his ears and smiling. I hadn’t expected any of the guys to show up today, but you’re not going to stop these guys. “Did she punch it when she saw the buck?”

  “Fuck if I know.” Running my hand through my hair, I try to keep my stare from lingering on the office where I know she is. “She seemed rattled for sure though.”

  “Morgan said she slept on your couch.”

  I grunt but don’t offer any response. I know where it leads. Conversations I don’t want to have.

  Jace grins, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You fuck her?”

  “No.” I fight the urge to shove him. I don’t, because he hands me a much-needed coffee. I take it, but still don’t like him this morning. “Don’t be nasty.”

  “That’s not nasty.” He laughs out a breath, eyebrows raised, sipping his steaming coffee. I fight the urge to knock it out of his hand and hope it burns. He does this thing where he bites his lip and then drags it out slowly. Women probably find it sexy; I find it revolting and annoying. Why are we even talking about this? “I saw the chick. I wouldn’t blame you.”

  My body flushes, and I can’t be sure, but it feels like my heart flips over in my chest. Part of me is pissed off that he checked her out. Let’s say 98 percent of me is angry. The other 2 percent can’t blame him one bit. “You got your own issues,” I remind him. “Like Abbi marrying another man in two months.”

  Jace glances over his shoulder at Rhett, Abbi’s brother, who also works here. Did I mention they’re best friends? Yeah, how he doesn’t know Jace had been fucking his sister all through high school might have something to do with why Jace never stood up when she begged him to “choose me” after high school. But he didn’t, and now he’s here, obsessing over the girl who went away to college without him and met a doctor in the process.

  But that’s his problem, not mine.

  Mine has her car lodged in the side of my shop and an ass I can’t stop thinking about.

  Sev, who’s been standing at my feet staring at the blood smeared on the hood, tugs on Jace’s hand. “Who you marrying, boyfren?”

  If you haven’t guessed, Sev has a bit of a thing for Jace. He shouldn’t put much weight on this because she also likes Rob Zombie and wants to cast a spell to get herself a mom.

  Jace pulls Sev’s hair lightly. “I’m not marrying anyone, girly,” he tells her, winking. Shifting his weight, his gaze finds mine again. “And neither is she if I have something to say about it.”

  Groaning, I kneel and check out the frame, yanking off the bumper that’s barely attached. I’m annoyed, for reasons even I don’t understand. I don’t like that she’s here, and I can’t ignore her the way I want. “Then go say something and leave me alone.”

  “Nah.” He kicks snow from the fender. It falls to the concrete with a slap, spraying water all over the floor. “I wanna see how this plays out. I think it’s going to be awesome.”

  “Of course you do.” Eyeing the car, I take note of the damage. Cooling fan. Radiator. Tire pressure sensor. Windshield. Bumper. Airbag. It’s pretty evident I have my work cut out for me because there’s no way I’m letting anyone else touch this car. I work on tractors, but it doesn’t mean I can’t fix it. All it means is that I get to spend more time with Kacy, right?

  “You just want to find my hand cuffed to a chair again for blackmail.”

  He nods, as if my assessment is spot on. “I got all the gravy jobs for a year.” Jace grins, pausing, and then continues with “Of course I’m gonna use it for blackmail.”

  I glance up at him and infuse my voice with a lack of interest. No way I want him thinking I have any interest in this girl. “Stop talking and see how long it’ll take to get this car out of the building. We got work to do today.”

  “Might as well buy a new car,” Jace mumbles, his boots scraping against the concrete as he moves around the car. “This thing is trashed. What’d you do with the buck?”

  “Morgan kept it.”

  Beside me, Sev removes her gloves, drops them on the ground, and attempts to touch the hood.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I warn, glaring at Sev. I know what she’s about to do. Swipe her finger across the hood to touch the blood. Believe me, this kid keeps me up at night in fear she’s going to cut my throat to see what my insides look like.

  “I not gonna lick it,” she snaps, pushing her hat from her eyes. “I’m leaven dis stupid place.”

  Jace laughs and picks up the bumper off the floor. “We fixin’ this pile of junk?”

  “Might as well.” I don’t let on to what I may or may not be up to, but I know I don’t want to let Kacy leave just yet.

  Jace begins to walk away, but he turns and waves his hand to the back doors. “I’m gonna go plow the drive so we can get this out of the side of the building.”

  Staring at the car, I nod but don’t say anything.

  “Who’s the girl?”

  I don’t have to turn around to see that it’s Tilly and she’s holding coffee. “What girl?”

  “The one camped out in the office with Lil. You know they’re talking about you.”

  Taking the coffee in my hand, I quirk an eyebrow, my heart thumping a little faster. Leaning into my toolbox, I cross my arms over my chest, appearing casual. “What are they saying?”

  Tilly winks. Of course this is funny to her. “Oh, you know.”

  I raise an eyebrow, expecting her to continue, but she doesn’t. “No, I don’t.” I step closer to my aunt. “Tell me.”

  “What’s it worth to you?”

  I fight the urge to shake
her. It wouldn’t be the first time. “I’m not playing this game with you,” I tell her hastily, scowling. “I have work to do.”

  Laughter leaves her lips as she passes out coffee to the rest of the guys making themselves busy this morning.

  I take the next twenty minutes and get prices on parts for Kacy’s Mercedes. It’s the only part of my morning that’s normal. Because the instant, the very second my hand touches that door, my entire body tenses, and my heart beats a little faster. I see her through the window, Sev on her lap, Camdyn sitting next to her, both of them smiling and laughing at whatever she’s telling them.

  Exhaling heavily, I open the door and walk into the office, knowing I’m about to be watched carefully. “What are you guys talking about?”

  “Lulu.” Camdyn grins, swinging her legs off the side of the couch she’s sitting on. “Kacy’s never ever seen a real live horse.”

  “You’re not missing much,” I mumble, my eyes on the paper.

  Lillian laughs. “Barron hates—”

  “Are you in a hurry?” I ask Kacy, interrupting Lillian before she can tell an embarrassing horse story of mine. Or any other story she doesn’t need to know. Laughter comes from Lillian but still, I keep my focus on Kacy, handing her the work order I did up. I keep my distance from Kacy in fear I’ll start thinking about her damn panties again. Fuck. I already am. My eyes drop to her legs. Nope. Stop yourself. Don’t think.

  You know, I bet they’re black. Her nails are black.

  Clearing my throat, I sigh. My mind is pissing me off. “I can get the parts here in a few days, but there’s some frame damage, and I can’t get access to an align rack until next week.”

  I swallow over the lump in my throat and the way her sigh sends a thrill through me. I wonder what her moans sound like? Is she a screamer?

  Fuck. Stop!

  Her fingertips dance over the work order. Our eyes connect before her touch registers. “No hurry,” she says with a smile, keeping my girls next to her. “I can find a hotel room.”

  No fucking way I’m letting that happen. “Well, I—”

  “You can stay with us!” Camdyn interrupts, her excitement hardly contained as she bounces up and down.