Читать книгу Twins For The Bull Rider - April Arrington - Страница 8
ОглавлениеThe steering wheel pulled hard to the right, jerking Cissy’s hands with it. Tugging on the wheel, she straightened the car and coaxed it forward again. Twelve minutes after bailing the greasy diner and her ragged car was dying on the highway.
A loud hum from her cell phone sounded over the clanking of the engine. Persistent joker! That was one thing she had to give Jason Reed, the twins’ father, credit for. Once he got his mind set on something, he was like a pit bull. He’d sink his teeth in and never let go.
The vibrating stopped. Cissy bit her lip and hunched against the steering wheel. Her heart lurched. Sweat streamed from her brow, burning the corner of her eye.
Real stupid, Cissy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What had she done? What was she thinking packing the boys up and dragging them all over the state of Georgia?
The cell phone, though silent, seared through the pocket of her shorts, scorching its presence into her thigh. She relinquished her clutch on the steering wheel and readjusted it with trembling fingers.
Okay. She’d screwed up again. Big-time. Lost her temper. Her home. Her direction in life.
Wrapping her hands tighter around the wheel, she willed the car on. It didn’t have to be as bad as it seemed. All she needed to do was buy some time and find a bit of work to tide them over until she found something permanent.
And she would. She always managed to pull through.
Her chest tightened. Only, it had always been just her. It wasn’t just her anymore. She had two children to consider now. And the damage was already done. What was she going to do?
Cissy swallowed hard and renewed her grip on the steering wheel. A motel was probably right over the next hill. Just a few more miles.
“Come on, ol’ girl,” she cajoled, patting the dash.
A loud pop and a sharp jerk of the steering wheel had her gasping as the car veered off the road and jerked to a stop.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Cissy?” Jayden mumbled.
Squaring her shoulders, she mentally directed herself to calm down and glanced in the backseat. Jayden was struggling to keep his eyes open. Kayden had long since been out for the count and sprawled with snoring abandon in his booster seat.
“Nothing, baby,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
Nothing? She yanked the keys out of the ignition. That was the understatement of the year. Or, at least, the biggest lie she’d ever told. It was pitch-black outside. They’d just blown a tire. She was sure of it. And, now they were stranded on the edge of a ditch, in the middle of nowhere, without a soul in sight.
Cissy dug out a flashlight from the glove compartment and went to survey the damage. The low beam glowed over a deflated heap of rubber pooling on the grass. It was a lost cause.
She rotated to take in her surroundings, the flashlight bouncing in her shaky grip. There were no houses or driveways. The dim light flickered over wire fences and the edges of empty fields. Only menacing darkness lay beyond.
Cissy dropped her head and kicked the ground. How irresponsible could she be? She’d panicked and taken a chance without weighing it first. She’d jumped without a net, and instead of landing on her feet she was plummeting facedown toward the dirt.
What should she do now? What would Crystal do?
Her mouth twisted. Crystal would never have gotten the boys into a mess like this to begin with. Her sister may have been weak in the head where Jason was concerned but she would never have taken such a gamble on their security. She would’ve sweet-talked any sleazy landlord if it meant keeping a roof over the boys’ heads.
Cissy slapped the flashlight against her palm. Heck if she’d do that. She’d never beg a slimeball like him for charity.
Keep our boys together, Cissy. Crystal’s plea whispered in her mind and wrapped around her on the humid summer air. Give them what we never had. Promise me...
And she had promised.
A salty tang hit Cissy’s mouth, tears settling in the corners. Licking them away, she blinked hard and dragged the back of her hand over her cheeks.
Fat lot of good it would do to stand here and cry by the side of the road all night. She had to think. She had to focus.
She shoved the flashlight into her back pocket, then flipped on the hazard lights, and then leaned against the trunk. Moments later, the rumble of an engine rattled the dinky car at her back. Bright lights emerged over the hill and flooded her face.
She threw an arm up to shield her eyes as the loud truck drew to a halt. A large male frame emerged from the truck’s cab and positioned itself in front of the headlights. Uneasiness seeped into her gut.
“Hey!” Cissy shouted over the growling vehicle.
The silhouette placed its hands on its hips and the outline of a Stetson dipped in response.
“You want to shut that thing off? It’ll just about make a person deaf, you know?”
No response.
Crap. She squinted against the lights and dropped her arm to adopt a more defensive stance. “Look, I have a flat. Is there a tow-truck service around here?”
The figure took a few steps toward her but didn’t answer.
Great. Just great. Now some psycho redneck was going to butcher her and toss her body parts in the ditch. She reached around her back and gripped the end of the flashlight.
“Hey, I asked you a question.” Her heart pounded as he drew closer. She snatched the flashlight out of her back pocket and threw out a hand. “Stop.”
He didn’t. He just kept on coming. Adrenaline shot through her veins. She cast a quick look over her shoulder to the backseat, glancing at the boys’ blond heads illuminated by the headlights.
“I said stop.” Cissy jerked her arm over her head and flung the flashlight, clenching her fists in victory when it thumped against the silhouette’s head.
“Ow! Dammit,” the voice boomed as the figure folded over.
She almost collapsed with relief at the familiar tenor. “Dominic.”
He shifted closer, blocking the headlights and bringing his face into view. A bright red lump was appearing right below the brim of his hat. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” She slumped back against the car. “You shouldn’t have walked up on me like that. You scared the crap out of me.”
Dominic removed his hat, rubbing a hand over his brow and through his hair. The midnight strands fell forward in tousled waves.
“Good,” he growled, settling the Stetson back on his head. “You should be scared. You never stand outside your vehicle like that. You’re just asking for someone to snatch you up.”
Cissy lifted her chin and dragged her attention away from his dark eyes. “Well, seems to me like you wouldn’t have had much success in snatching me up, as you put it.”
Dominic grunted. He retrieved the flashlight from the ground, shoved it into her hand then banded his blunt fingers around her wrist. “What were you gonna do if this thing missed? Kick my kneecaps? You’re too short to reach much else.”
“Actually, I had something higher in mind,” she smirked, spinning the flashlight with her fingers.
Dominic’s luscious mouth twitched. He flattened it and rolled his eyes. “Right.”
Releasing her, he moved his muscular girth past her to survey the flat. A drift of spicy maleness enveloped her. Good Lord, he smelled good.
Fingers trembling, she rolled the flashlight between her palms. The heat from his grip still lingered on the base and she found her fingertips returning to smooth over it.
“You got a spare?”
“You’re looking at it.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, he leaned down and glanced inside the backseat. “They been out long?”
“Since we left the diner. They’ve had a long day.”
He nodded and opened the door. “I’ll get this one, you grab the other one.”
“Wait a minute.” She rushed over to stall him with a hand on his arm. Ignoring the bulk of his biceps under her fingers, she demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“The only thing there is to do. Loading them in my truck and taking them somewhere to sleep.” His tone turned mocking. “Or do you expect me to leave y’all stranded by the side of the road in the middle of the night?”
Cissy frowned. “No. But I don’t really know you. You’re a stranger.”
His black eyebrows rose. She had to agree with him. Her choice of words was lame.
“A stranger?” Dominic’s lip hitched. “I wasn’t so strange earlier when you stole my half-eaten burger outta my hand.” His eyes softened as he ran them over her face. “These boys are too young to sleep in a car by the side of the road. It’s not safe. You have to admit that.”
She opened her mouth but couldn’t manage to issue a sound. The summer heat engulfed her skin, rolling a drop of sweat between her breasts.
Spearing a hand through her hair, she flicked her eyes over the empty darkness surrounding them. What choice did she have? As much as she hated admitting it, he was right. The boys needed to be settled for the night.
Dominic nodded at her silence, then turned back to the car’s interior to unbuckle Jayden’s seat belt.
“Wait.” Cissy shot in front of him and gathered Jayden up in her arms. Maintaining her position, she clutched him to her chest and clenched her jaw.
Dominic’s mouth tightened and he took a step back. If he was offended, he didn’t comment on it. He just watched her for a handful of seconds then shrugged.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll grab their car seats. They’ll fit in the cab. Once the boys are settled, we’ll toss your bags in the back.”
They did so, with Cissy keeping a close eye on Dominic as he helped settle Jayden in the truck. They made swift work of relocating Kayden and the bags, too, and soon pulled out onto the road again.
“What about my car?” Cissy twisted in the passenger seat to watch it fade into the darkness.
“We’ll see about it in the morning. Get the tire replaced.” He paused as they turned onto a dirt road. “Although, from the looks of it, it needs a lot more than just a tire.”
She shot him a dirty look. Yeah. It did need a lot more than that. But a polite person wouldn’t have pointed it out.
That wasn’t the worst of it, though. She couldn’t afford a new tire. Or anything else, for that matter. Licking her lips, she turned her face away to look out of the window. Better to keep that bit of information to herself for now.
“Y’all were packed tight in there. Where were you headed?”
They bounced around as a pothole jostled them. Cissy glanced over her shoulder to find the boys still sleeping. “Nowhere in particular. I was just looking for the next motel.”
Dominic grunted. “Well, you weren’t gonna find one on that road for a while. Only thing for the next couple hours’ drive would’ve been deer and cemeteries.”
They hit another bump and Cissy reached back to prop Kayden’s dangling hand back in his lap. The action brought her face close to Dominic’s arm and she couldn’t prevent herself from taking a second look at the sinewy length. Even his forearm was defined, the toned tendons accentuated with a sprinkling of black hair.
And his scent was everywhere. That mix of sandalwood and man permeated every inch of the truck’s upholstery and released into the air with each of his movements. She forced herself to refocus on the boys and reached back to move a lock of hair off Jayden’s forehead.
“It’s just y’all?” His sexy rumble warmed her belly.
She met his sharp look for a moment before facing the window again. “Yeah.”
She strained to see beyond the halo of the truck’s headlights. It was too dark to see much other than the billowing of dust from the bottom of the truck and the passing of fence posts.
“Where’s their mama?”
Cissy clutched her hands in her lap and focused ahead on the uneven line of grass that met the dirt path they traveled. “Gone.”
“Their dad?”
She stilled her nervous movements and remained silent.
Her skin prickled at the sweep of his dark gaze on her once more. She bit her lip. He didn’t pursue it. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she welcomed the silence in the cab.
A few minutes later, he slowed the truck as they turned into a gated entrance. The truck’s headlights illuminated a wooden sign etched with the name Raintree Ranch as they proceeded.
“Raintree?” She vaguely recalled that tiny dot on the map she’d used.
“Yep.”
“This is your ranch?”
His mouth twisted. “Partially.”
Cissy drew up at his cynical tone and returned her attention to the windshield. The dirt road dipped and curved past a mammoth barn, dark paddocks and a dimly lit pond before leading them to an almost palatial house. She caught a glimpse of white columns, wide windows and several stories before the truck continued past and halted at the end of a back driveway.
“Let’s get the boys inside,” Dominic directed as he hopped out. Her hesitancy must have shown on her face. He leaned back into the cab to point out, “You can’t carry them both, Cissy.”
At her nod, he unloaded Jayden, hoisted him on his hip and led the way up a narrow path to a back door. She followed closely behind, clutching Kayden to her chest and stepping with care past the azaleas on each side of the walkway. The boys issued small grunts as they were jostled about and began lifting their heads as Dominic banged on the door.
“It’s really late, Dominic,” she said. “Don’t you have a key?”
He turned to study her for a moment. “Somewhere. Haven’t needed it in a while.”
Raising his big fist, he banged again. A light came on and one of the doors burst open.
A voice thundered, “What the hell, Dom?”
“I’m not alone, Logan,” Dominic bit out.
Cissy lifted to her toes, peering over Dominic’s broad shoulder. She just caught the angry frown of a tall, disheveled man. Shifting his weight, Dominic brought Jayden fully into the man’s line of sight.
Her stomach turned over and she clutched Kayden closer to her chest. It was much too late for visitors. She wouldn’t blame the guy—Logan, was it?—if he shooed them off and slammed the door.
Dominic’s bulk moved forward and she followed in his wake. Crossing the threshold, she stopped and glanced at Logan. There was a remarkable resemblance to Dominic, although this man was leaner and the lines on his face were slightly deeper.
His eyes were tired. Cissy winced. He probably thought she was an insensitive jerk for ripping him from his bed. She opened her mouth to issue an apology but he spoke first.
“Sorry. I didn’t see the boys.” Logan’s eyes swept the length of her, pausing to scrutinize Kayden’s face. “Please come in.”
“Thank you.” She lowered her chin to rest it on Kayden’s soft hair as she proceeded inside.
She kept close to Dominic’s heels, noting the kitchen was larger than the last three apartments she’d lived in put together. Granite countertops gleamed, stainless-steel appliances lined every wall and several oak tables were stationed about.
“Here,” Dominic instructed, pulling a chair out with his foot. “Have a seat. If you’ll hold on to them for a minute, I’ll get a room ready.”
Cissy lowered into the chair, adjusting Kayden onto her left hip as Dominic maneuvered Jayden onto the right one. Their legs dangled off on either side and she wrapped her arms tighter around them.
“Got ’em?” Dominic’s big, tanned hand hovered above Jayden’s back.
She looked down and readjusted the boys. Her scuffed sneakers were a marked contrast with the polished hardwood floor. She slid them underneath her chair.
“Yeah.” Her face flamed.
Dominic stepped away. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Logan cast one last look at the boys before leaving the room. Closing her eyes, Cissy sighed. Wisps of the boys’ hair moved and tickled her chin. She dropped her cheek to the top of their heads, rubbing it back and forth.
How had they ended up here? And in the middle of the night with an almost stranger?
She cringed. There was no way she could pay for her car being towed, a new tire and room and board for the night. What would Logan and Dominic do when they found out she was broke and had no place to go? Would they throw them out? Or worse, call Family and Children Services?
Clutching the boys tighter to her chest, she whispered an apology when Jayden whimpered. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
And if it wasn’t, she’d make it okay.
The cell phone in her pocket buzzed against her thigh. Cissy’s hands curled tighter around the boys. The incessant vibrations persisted despite her attempts to ignore them.
Keep our boys together, Cissy.
She firmed her features. She’d make it okay. She had to.
* * *
“ARE THEY YOURS?”
“Hell, no,” Dominic spat.
He winced at the harsh words that burst from his mouth. The warmth from Jayden’s body still lingered on his right side. And it wasn’t the kids’ fault his brother had turned into a cynical ass.
It was just like Logan to come out with guns blazing. This was the exact reason he’d put off coming home for so long this time out. Dominic gritted his teeth and flicked his eyes over the room to rein in his temper.
Not much had changed in Raintree Ranch’s main office over the past year and a half. It remained organized, controlled and presentable. Just like Logan.
Shoving his fists into his pockets, Dominic stared his brother down. “Those boys have to be at least five. For God’s sake, Logan, is that what you think of me? That I’d abandon my own flesh and blood for the first years of their life?”
“I don’t know, Dom,” Logan returned, eyes piercing into his. “You just hit twenty-five. And you sure as hell left a trail in your wake. You probably don’t know what you’ve left behind.”
Dominic straightened. “Oh, I’d know. That’s one chance I don’t take.”
Logan maintained his stance behind the mahogany desk. Hands flat on the counter, head lifted. “Mistakes happen.”
“Yeah,” Dominic sneered, “and don’t you know it, big bro?”
That got a reaction.
Logan shoved off the desk, rounding it and bringing his face so close it blurred. “If you came home just to stir shit up, you can haul your ass off right now. Don’t have time for it. Some of us work for a living.”
“And I don’t?” Dominic jerked his chin up. “Whose work produced the money to build this place to begin with?”
“I wouldn’t call getting thrown on your back by bulls and buckle bunnies actual work.” Logan stepped away and narrowed his eyes. “But heaven forbid we ever forget that you still cut us a check every month.” His brows rose. “Want to see ’em? I haven’t been cashing them. Just stacking them up all nice and neat in a pile and locking them in the safe so you’ll have proof you did your part when the time comes.”
Dominic’s gut roiled. “You’re a real bastard when you want to be, Logan.”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding, “and you love it. Makes it real easy to sweep back in here and be the charming hero every couple years. Tell me, how many times did you call Pop over the past year and a half?”
Dominic spun around, then strode to the window and hunched his shoulders. “He has you.”
“He sees me every day, you know? It’s not me he wants to talk to. It’s you.” Logan’s scornful laugh crossed the room to grate over his ears. “Don’t worry. He won’t hold it against you. He never does.”
“Where is he?”
“Where do you think? It’s after eleven at night. This is a working guest ranch. We get up at the crack of dawn here. We don’t wallow around until noon recovering from parties the night before.”
Shame washed over Dominic, burning his neck. This was going nowhere.
Yanking his fists free, he stalked across the room. “You think you can put this in your back pocket until morning? I’m not feeling it right now and those kids out there are ’bout dead on their feet. All I need is a room key and I’ll be out of your hair for a few hours.”
Logan sighed then moved back behind the desk. He yanked a drawer open and rustled through it before holding out a key. “Twenty-seven’s the only one empty. Has a king-size bed and en suite bathroom. It’s on the second floor.”
“I know where it is. I haven’t been gone that long.”
“I assume you plan on staying in the bunkhouse as usual.”
The bunkhouse. Away from the main house. Away from Logan’s stifling grip. Hell, yes.
“You assume right.” Dominic swiped the key out of Logan’s hand and jerked his wallet free from his back pocket to produce a wad of bills. Tossing them down, he jeered, “Brought cash this time instead of a check. Throw that on the pile.”
His boots landed with thuds on the wood floor as he stomped away.
“Dom?”
A softening in Logan’s tone halted him. Dominic tilted his head but didn’t turn around.
“Stay awhile this time, yeah?”
Dominic looked over his shoulder. Logan’s expression was still carved in stone, but his eyes pleaded with Dom’s.
“We’ll see,” he murmured.
A tremor tore through his frame at the gruff sound of his voice. It was just exhaustion. He’d been on the road too long and he needed to recuperate. And he needed to get those boys settled before he did that.
Jerking away, he returned to the kitchen, drawing to a halt in the doorway. The boys were still knocked out, their limbs draped around Cissy. Her cheek rested on top of their heads and their bodies lifted and lowered with each soft breath that passed between her parted lips. The blond sweep of her hair had fallen to one side and settled in a silken pool on one of the boy’s shoulders.
Her expression was softer. No angry scowl or judgmental glare. Sleep had claimed her, too.
Dominic grinned. She sure was a lot less temperamental in this state. And even in her sleep, her arms were like steel bands wrapped around those boys. It was obvious she cared for them.
The grin vanished as his gut churned. Still, having kids didn’t always mean someone stuck around. He’d found that out first hand. Unlimited funds and fun was all it had taken to lure his mother away. He’d learned a long time ago that everyone had their price. And expectations.
Rolling his shoulders, he shrugged off the unpleasant thoughts and refocused on their peaceful faces.
Well, damn. He couldn’t carry all of them up the stairs. He’d have to wake her. He moved with soft steps across the room then lowered to his haunches at her feet.
“Cissy,” he whispered. He ran his eyes over the freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. Unable to resist, he touched the pad of his thumb to them and drifted it over the soft skin of her exposed cheek. His tanned hand stood out in stark contrast to her porcelain complexion.
Her eyes popped open and she lifted her head. Beet-red heat covered her other cheek. It glistened with sweat and the boys’ hair stuck to it.
“Hey.” He bit back a smile. “I got a room for you. Think you can make it up a flight of stairs?”
Blinking hard, she shifted upright and nodded. “Yeah.”
“There was only one open.” He lifted Jayden from her and arranged the boy on his hip. No response. These boys were like the dead when they slept. “It’s only got one bed but should be big enough for all of you.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Her voice was husky with sleep. It whispered over him and stirred a deep ache. He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.
“Well, come on and I’ll take you up.”
Leading the way up the winding staircase, he kept a firm hand on Jayden’s back, glancing back at Cissy every few feet. She held Kayden close, but the boy’s weight seemed to take a toll on her, slowing her steps and weighing her small frame down.
“This is it.” Dominic unlocked the door, opened it a crack and waited for her to reach his side. “No chance they’re gonna be up and about anymore tonight. I’ll bring your bags in tomorrow morning if you can do without them till then.”
She puffed a gold strand of hair out of her eyes. “That’s fine.”
He toed the door open and moved to the bed, depositing Jayden on one side. Cissy followed and laid Kayden down, as well. Dominic stepped back, hands hanging at his sides.
Cissy’s hip brushed his when she leaned in to untie and remove Kayden’s shoes. Her shirt rose from the waistband of her shorts, revealing smooth, silky skin. Dominic stifled the urge to run his palm over it and focused on her slim hands as she peeled off Kayden’s socks.
Seeking a distraction, Dominic did the same for Jayden and dropped the items in a pile by the bed.
The boy’s head was at an awkward angle, his mouth open and snoring. Dominic smirked. He’d passed out in the same position on many occasions. And nine times out of ten woke with a kink in his neck. Better head that off at the pass.
Reaching down, Dominic shifted Jayden’s head to a more comfortable position and started when his eyes fluttered open. Jayden blinked several times before a slow smile stretched across his face, his eyelids heavy and drooping.
“Cowboy,” Jayden whispered. His small hand fluttered upward to grasp the leather cord of the choker dangling from Dominic’s neck. Curling his fingers around it, he tugged hard.
Dominic lowered his head, easing the pull of the cord around his neck and bringing his face close to the boy’s. Jayden’s other hand rose to bump and glide over the stubble on his jaw, his tiny palm warm and sweaty against his cheek.
“You’ll be here when I wake up?” Jayden’s words emerged soft and slurred. He was already drifting back off.
Dominic’s chest tightened and his face flushed. For sure, he’d be here tomorrow. Beyond that, it was anyone’s guess.
Jayden’s sleepy gaze clung to him, hopeful expectancy glowing on his face.
“Yeah, buddy,” Dominic whispered.
Gently untangling Jayden’s fingers, he laid the boy’s arms back on the bed and stepped back. The weight of Cissy’s stare pressed on his face. He averted his head and moved awkwardly toward the door.
“Dominic?”
Rubbing his hands over his jeans, he turned. Cissy’s hair was mussed and her eyes shadowed but her voice rang clear.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for this.”
Her hands twisted at her waist, pulling on her thin shirt. There was a small wet spot on the material. It clung to the upper curve of her breast where Kayden’s face had rested.
She looked vulnerable, lost and alone.
His palms itched to reach out and pull her in. Tuck her head beneath his chin and hold her close. He stepped forward.
She reached him first, pressing her fingertips against his chest and propelling him toward the door. “Good night,” she whispered.
The warmth from her fingers spread throughout his body as she nudged him into the hall. The soft fall of her blond hair and curve of her rosy cheek disappeared behind the firm click of the closed door.
The warmth dissipated, leaving cold emptiness behind. Dominic ran his palm over the smooth wood. Straining, he listened to the faint rustlings as she moved around the room.
A wry grin crept across his mouth and a low laugh escaped. “Well...damn.”
It was the first time a woman had ever shown him the door. And, for the first time, he wanted nothing more than to get back on the other side of it.
