Single-Dad Cowboy by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chapter Twenty-One
Once again, Zeke found comfort in Nell’s arms. And so much pleasure. She was a bountiful feast, one he appreciated far more this time than the first night they’d spent together. He learned to sip and taste instead of gobbling voraciously.
She also taught him to play. The flavored oil had been a start. Then she reminded him about the pushups he’d teased her about. Coaching her in that exercise started with laughter and ended with a steamy episode featuring Nell taking the top position and driving him insane.
And finally, she offered the radical suggestion of getting some rest. Holding her close, he drifted into a deeper sleep than he’d had in many months, maybe even years. Good thing he’d set his phone alarm.
Silencing the soft chime quickly, he slipped out of bed and headed for the shower. The bungalow’s fixtures and plumbing were old and cranky. They groaned in protest when he turned on the water.
He winced at making so much noise. Couldn’t be helped. He needed to be fresh as a daisy when he picked up Claire at Henri’s. Maybe Nell was a sound sleeper.
But as he dried off, he smelled coffee. Not such a sound sleeper. Dressing quickly, he breathed in the scent of raisin-bread toast. When he walked into the kitchen, she turned from the counter where she was spreading peanut butter on the toast. “I hope you have ten minutes.”
“I do.” He’d rather spend it kissing her than eating toast and drinking coffee, but kissing Nell when she was wearing nothing but a fluffy bathrobe would be a recipe for… well, not disaster. Extreme lateness, though.
She handed him a mug of coffee and a small plate with the toast cut in four triangles.
“Thanks. Nice presentation.”
She laughed as she picked up her coffee and toast. “Kids like their sandwiches cut that way and I just automatically do it, now.”
“No worries. I’m just a big kid at heart.” He set his plate and mug on the kitchen table so he could pull out a chair for her.
“If you dig deep enough, most of us are still kids underneath. That’s why I can relate to my third graders. My eight-year-old is alive and well in my grown-up body.”
“I know.” He settled into his chair, dug his phone from his pocket and laid it by his plate so he’d keep track of the time. “I couldn’t say who was more excited about that greenhouse, you or Claire. When the frame went up, you looked just like she did—so happy you could bust.”
“I was.”
“So was I.” He’d never forget that moment. Or this one—Nell smiling at him across the tiny kitchen table, her hair piled on top of her head to get it out of the way while she made coffee and toast. For him. His chest tightened.
She reached over and touched his hand, her forehead creased. “You okay?”
“I just… you’re… beautiful.”
Her expression softened. “Thank you.” She held his gaze. Then she glanced at his plate. “Eat your toast.”
“Yes, Miss O’Connor.” Smiling, he picked up one of the triangles.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She looked adorably flustered. “I just know you have to—”
The sound of a text on his phone was loud in the quiet kitchen. He checked the screen. Call me if you can. “It’s Jake.” He stood. “Sorry. I need to call him. He wouldn’t contact me unless it’s important.”
“By all means. I can put your coffee in a thermos.”
“No need. I’ll only be a minute.”
Jake answered on the first ring. “Hope I didn’t interrupt.”
“Nope. What’s—”
“Henri just called. A reservation request has come in from Fran and Bud Lassiter.”
His stomach twisted. “Damn him.”
“She can tell them she’s booked.”
“All summer?”
“It could happen.”
“They might just find a different place to stay and come anyway. Claire said my mom wanted to visit after school let out, but my dad was super busy and didn’t see how he could get away.”
“Probably because he planned to use his vacation time to take my mother on a cruise.”
“You know that?”
“No, I made it up, but that’s how he’s worked things in the past.” Bitterness laced his words. “Look, this is your call, since it involves Claire. Now that I think about it, Henri can’t tell them we’re booked. Claire would be over the moon if they stayed in a guest cabin for a few days.”
“I can’t believe he has the cojones to—”
“Can’t you? I totally believe it. The guy has solid brass ones. He thinks he can get away with this like he’s gotten away with everything else.”
“And it looks like he will, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it sure does. I’ll tell Henri to confirm their reservation. We’ll talk soon.”
“Wait. What dates are they asking for?”
“Next Friday through Monday morning.”
“Son of a—”
“No, son of a bastard. Or rather, sons. You and me, little brother. We both drew the short straw. I’m off to check on the raptors. See ya.”
“Later, bro.” He disconnected and looked around for Nell.
She stood a short distance away, her arms folded and her expression sad. So very sad.
He cleared his throat. “My parents are coming.”
“I figured that out.” Unfolding her arms, she came toward him. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” He tucked his phone in his pocket and gathered her close.
She hugged him tight, nestling her face against his chest. “Your heart’s going very fast.”
“Because I’m ready to beat the tar out of him. How the hell can he—” No point in finishing that rant. Jake was right. His dad had always done whatever he wanted without suffering any consequences. Why stop now?
“When are they coming?”
“Next weekend. Friday through Monday.”
“I’ll be glad to help you deal with this if you need me to.”
“I don’t want you anywhere near that bastard.”
She glanced up. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to get away with that. Claire will want to show off her setup, her uncles and aunts, even me and Val.”
“You’re right.” His gut twisted. “And everyone will be forced to play nice because they love Claire.”
“And because they want to support you.” She cupped his face in both hands. “So do I. If you’ll let me.”
Taking her hands in his, he brushed kisses over her fingers and held her gaze. “I’d be a fool not to.”
“Yeah, you would.” She stepped back and pulled her hands free. “Now get out of here. And take your toast with you. You can eat it on the way.”
“I will.” She’d made it and he’d eat it. Stacking the triangles together, he glanced at the mug of coffee which she’d also made. “Maybe I should take a thermos, after all.”
“Sorry, but I wasn’t thinking straight when I offered. You’d have to explain to Claire where you got the thermos.”
“Oh.”
“I’m assuming she doesn’t know we spent the night together.”
“I don’t think so. That’s something I wanted to talk about—how I should handle the subject if the time comes when she figures it out.”
“Okay. We’ll discuss it later.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go, go.”
He backed toward the door. “I thought you might have some insights about age-appropriate ways to explain sexuality. Being a teacher and all.”
“I’m no expert, but—we can talk when there’s more time. Bye, Zeke.”
“Bye.” He couldn’t stand it. Storming back across the room, he cupped the back of her head with his free hand and kissed her, hard and fast. “That’s better.” Turning on his heel, he walked straight to the door, grabbing his Stetson from an end table as he passed by.
Hat on and kiss bestowed, he glanced back one last time. “I love it when you smile like that.”
“Your kisses make me happy.”
“Good, because you’ll be getting a lot more of them.” He touched two fingers to the brim of his hat. “See you soon.”
He ate the toast in three bites on the way to his truck. He took the residential streets at the required limit, but once he hit the two-lane out of town, he ignored the signs and boogied, watching for critters and cops as he drove.
He encountered neither and pulled up in front of Henri’s place on the dot. Not too shabby, all things considered. Bounding up to the porch, he crossed it in two strides, rapped on the door and went on in. Henri was expecting him.
Claire raced out of the kitchen. “Dad! Gramma Frannie and Grampa Bud are coming to stay at the ranch!”
He acted surprised. “They are? That’s great!” He almost choked on the words, but he got them out. “When?”
“They’ll be here next Friday. Gramma Henri says she’ll rearrange your work schedule so we can pick them up in Great Falls.” She hopped up and down. “I can’t wait, I can’t wait!”
Henri walked out of the kitchen and stood behind Claire, her hands on his daughter’s shoulders, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Exciting news, huh?” Her tone was enthusiastic but she made a face.
“Yes, ma’am. Very exciting. Well, I’d better take this wrangler and head for the barn. We have critters to feed and stalls to clean, right, pardner?”
“Right, pardner!” She made for the door, grabbed her overnight bag sitting beside it and plucked her hat from the coat tree. Then she gazed at him. “Dad, you have peanut butter on your shirt.”
“I do?” He checked, and sure enough, he’d dripped. “Whoops.”
Claire sighed and shook her head. “I know exactly what you did.”
Henri’s eyes widened.
Stay cool, dude. “Oh, you do, do you?”
“Since I wasn’t there, you didn’t bother to fix yourself a real breakfast. Instead you made toast, ate it too fast and washed it down with coffee. Am I right?”
“More or less.”
“I thought so. After we finish barn chores, we need to go back to the bunkhouse so you can get some real food into you.”
“Good idea.” He glanced at Henri, who’d ducked her head, no doubt to hide her grin. “Thanks so much for keeping Claire last night, Henri.”
She looked up, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re welcome. Did you have a nice time?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He didn’t have to fake his response to that question. “I had a wonderful time.”
