broken glass and crushed candy.
Well, damn. Twenty minutes from home, he’d been intent upon tossing a hot meal in his stomach, recovering from his last tour on the circuit and bolstering the courage to dig his feet into the dirt of his family’s ranch again.
Instead, here he was, cleaning up a woman’s mess. Something he’d been very careful to avoid over the years. So much for doing the right thing.
The back of his neck prickled, alerting him to the fact that the boys still observed him with interest. The soft hush of whispers and the shuffling of small feet around him solidified his suspicions.
“Hey, mister.”
Dominic stilled his rough sweeping to look down. The more outspoken boy, who he recalled was named Kayden, barely reached his waist but jutted his chin out and eyed him with uncertainty.
“You a real cowboy?” he posed with all the seriousness of a sheriff.
A smile quirked Dominic’s lips. “I’ve been accused of it before.”
“He looks like one,” Kayden’s replica informed him in a stage whisper. “He’s got a hat and boots.”
Kayden pondered this for a moment, roving his gaze over Dominic once more. Locking eyes with him, he countered, “Yeah, but you got a horse?”
“Several,” Dominic returned.
“A rope?” Kayden shot back.
“Yep.”
“A gun?”
“Not on me.” Dominic firmed his features. “They’re dangerous, little man.”
“He ain’t got no dirt on his butt, Kayden,” the other twin exclaimed at his rear. “Real cowboys have dirty butts.”
“Boys,” their aunt shouted from the booth. “Stop that and get over here.”
“Aw, come on, Aunt Cissy. We ain’t never seen one up close before.” Kayden rolled his lips and squinted at her.
“Well, you’ve seen one now, kiddos,” Sheila interjected, dumping the last of the glass in the trash. “Dom here’s not only a real cowboy but he’s the top bull rider in the world. He’s won the PBR championship four years in a row now.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and smiled. “First ever to do it. Saw you on TV, Dom. You looked great.”
Dominic issued a halfhearted smile. A scoff emerged from the direction of the booth. Turning, he watched the blonde blush and tilt her chin higher.
“That where you got this?” Kayden popped a fist into his belt buckle, coming dangerously close to sensitive parts of his anatomy.
Dominic recoiled. “Whoa, there.”
“That’s it.” Their aunt’s blue eyes spat sparks. “Get over here now.” She jabbed a finger toward the floor and pinned the boys with a stern look. They reluctantly complied, dragging their feet over to hop up beside her in the booth.
“I’m really sorry about this.” Sheila divested him of the broom and passed her eyes over each of them. “Meal’s on the house. Dom, what can I get you?”
He opened his mouth to respond when Kayden piped, “We got a triple cheeseburger. That’s what you should get.”
He laughed at the boy’s authoritative tone. It’d been a long time since he’d been around a kid. He forgot how lively they could make a mundane event.
“Sounds good,” Dominic said. “I’ll have it with fries.” He ambled toward a bar stool but drew up short when Kayden waved a small hand in his direction.
“Hey, come sit with us. There’s room,” Kayden urged with an eager expression.
He hated to disappoint the boy but was willing to. Dominic was about to decline, but found the words sticking in his throat when their aunt shushed the boy then shot a look of disapproval his way.
Dominic grunted. Fine thanks for trying to help someone out. “You know what?” He threw a smile in the boys’ direction. “Don’t mind if I do.”
He maneuvered his big frame into the other side of the booth, sucking in his abs and wobbling the table forward a few inches to make more room. Removing his hat, he placed it on the edge of the table and dragged a hand through his hair.
The look of irritation flitting across her delicate features widened his smile. Now, this was something new. It’d been a long time since he had to work to get the attention of a woman.
“Here you go.” Sheila plopped two plates of food and a tray of sugar packets in front of the trio. “And, Dom,” she purred, setting a meal in front of him. Hesitating, she cast a glance at the boys’ aunt. “You sure I can’t get you anything more? It’s gratis. Soup? Pie?”
“No, thank you.” She refused to look up and helped the boys arrange napkins in their laps.
No surprise there. She was probably one of those women that lived off salad and diet soda. Dominic dug into his food with almost as much gusto as the boys. It’d been several days since he’d stopped long enough to sit somewhere and let his stomach settle.
“Cissy, huh?” he mumbled out around a bite of burger before dragging a napkin across his mouth.
He noticed her eyes followed the movement and lingered on his lower lip. She wasn’t completely unaffected by him. Dominic dropped his gaze to the table to hide his satisfaction.
“Cissy,” she affirmed. “Cissy Henley.”
“I’m Kayden,” the boy garbled out around his own mouthful of food.
“And this is Jayden,” Cissy commented, nodding in the other boy’s direction.
He swallowed before taking another huge bite and offering up his own introduction. “Dominic Slade.”
“Cowboy.” A bit of food flew out of Jayden’s mouth at the declaration and Cissy quickly admonished them both not to talk with their mouths full.
Abashed, Dominic pressed his lips together and chewed, making sure his mouth was empty before asking, “Y’all from around here?”
“No” was her only response before taking a gulp of coffee.
Though Cissy seemed intent upon drinking, her long lashes lifted and she returned her attention to his mouth.
Dominic’s blood rushed as her eyes darkened. He shifted in the small confines of the booth, uncomfortably aware of the tightness of his jeans. He damned sure had been on the road too long.
Cissy lowered the cup and continued to stare. Surely she wasn’t trying to come on to him in front of the kids. Not that it’d be the first time. Lately, nothing women did surprised him.
Thankful for the silence that ensued, Dominic continued working on his meal. He was impressed by the boys’ appetites. They managed to polish off each half of their burger, every onion ring and almost an entire sundae. Only
