Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
So, it was a sister thing.
Mack could work with that.
At least Lacey didn’t have anything against him specifically.
He grinned as he sat back in the booth at the restaurant, his hands behind his head.
It was busy for a Wednesday night. Several cowboys were seated at the bar, their hats on stools beside them or the counter.
Their voices drifted toward him despite the country music playing over the speakers.
Lacey hadn’t arrived yet, but he’d managed to get her schedule for the week.
She was working every night until Saturday.
That meant a date this week was out of the question, but it wouldn’t stop him from seeing her.
Angela was likely at home with the kid, so there was zero chance that she’d find out Mack was here and trying to win over her sister.
He’d bribed the hostess to put him in Lacey’s section so he’d still be here when she arrived. In about twenty minutes, she’d arrive, and he couldn’t wait to see the spitfire’s reaction to his presence.
A chuckle reverberated through his chest. There was just something fun about getting her riled up—though he couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed seeing her at her most vulnerable, either.
Those twenty minutes passed in a flash, and soon, her shadow crossed over his table.
“Are you kidding me?”
Lazily, he lifted his eyes to her gorgeous and livid ones. “Hello, beautiful,” Mack drawled. “How are you doing tonight?”
She had a hand on her hip, the other one holding a tray at her side. “You can’t be here.”
“Why not? I’m ordering stuff.” He gestured to the coffee in front of him.
Lacey rolled her eyes. “We’ve been through this before. You can’t just camp out at where I work all night long.”
He leaned forward across the table and smirked at her. “You know what would get me to leave, right?”
Her expression didn’t change one bit.
Mack lifted his brows comically. “You just have to agree to?—”
“No.”
He cocked his head. “But I didn’t get to finish what I was going to say.”
She groaned and practically stomped away, leaving him chuckling.
“I’ll take an onion ring tower to start,” he called after her. He didn’t know if she’d actually follow through with the order. If she didn’t, he was certain he’d get another chance to place it. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Fifteen minutes later, Lacey returned, her eyes flashing with fire as she placed the onion rings in front of him. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
He cocked a brow, and her lips thinned.
“Not that.”
Mack shrugged. “Then nothing right now, but come back in about ten. I’ll order something else.”
She eyed him up and down, but he didn’t bother asking her what she was looking for. She probably wouldn’t answer him anyway. He grinned at her, and she huffed before storming away.
The rest of the evening was more of the same.
He enjoyed every spare moment she had for him, and toward the end of the night, she even offered him a genuine smile.
He made sure to leave her a very generous tip.
It wasn’t like he was spending the money his parents had set aside for him anyway.
He could afford to give some to a single mother who deserved the world.
The sidewalks were busy on Saturday, and it took effort not to bump into anyone.
From what Mack could tell, there wasn’t anything big taking place.
It was simply busy. He was only here to grab a few things for Caleb.
His brother was working on another idea for making it easier to feed the livestock at Sagebrush—something to do with an automated system so no one would have to get up at dawn to do the chore by hand.
Noah had come with him, insisting he needed a few things from Cliff’s Market. They were moving down the street in that direction after coming from the hardware store when Mack got a sharp dig to his ribs.
He let out a yelp then shot his brother a dark look.
“Isn’t that the girl you’ve been salivating after?”
It didn’t even register with Mack to be disgruntled with the statement his brother had made about Lacey. He’d simply snapped his focus in the direction where Noah nodded.
Sure enough, Lacey was coming toward them from up ahead, Bridger in tow.
A smile stretched across Mack’s face. It didn’t look like Angela was anywhere near them. Was this his chance to get Lacey to agree to a date? He’d been slowly wearing her down over the last couple of days. While the woman had still refused, she seemed to be taking longer to do just that.
“I knew it was her,” Noah muttered under his breath as the two of them slowed.
It was at that moment that Lacey noted their presence. Her eyes narrowed even as Bridger hollered with glee. “Mack!” He dropped his mother’s hand and threw himself at Mack, pulling him into a hug at the waist.
Mack chuckled, ignoring the lifted brows his brother gave him. “Hey, kid. Looks like you’re feeling lots better.”
Bridger nodded, pulling back with a wide grin. “I am.”
Ruffling Bridger’s hair, Mack risked a look in Lacey’s direction. “Lacey,” he drawled.
“Mike,” she muttered back.
Bridger shot a confused look at his mother much the same way Noah sent one in Mack’s direction. A chuckle slipped past Mack’s lips, and he shook his head. “We’re back to that, are we?”
She shrugged, though he could see the delight hovering in the depths of her gaze. Too bad her plan to get under his skin wouldn’t work. The fact that she deliberately called him something else meant she was thinking about him.
“You working tonight?” Mack asked.
She stiffened, and her eyes narrowed. Then they darted to Noah, who seemed unable to hide just how enthralled he was over their interaction.
It was Bridger who spoke first. “Yeah. But she’s not happy about it.”
Mack glanced in her direction, smirking. “Oh? Why’s that?” He could see just how hard it was for Lacey not to step in and tell her son not to say anything. Thankfully, the kid didn’t notice.
Bridger sighed. “Aunt Angela had to go back to Billings today for a meeting. And my babysitter is sick. Mom can’t find anyone to watch me.”
“That’s not true.” She was too quick to jump into the conversation. “I was going to call Sammie and Caleb to see?—”
“But you said they’re busy with their new baby,” Bridger interrupted. “You said they shouldn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on me when…” His words trailed off when he finally caught sight of his mother’s flushed face and sharp gaze.
Lacey glanced up at Mack, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s fine. Nothing I haven’t had to deal with before. We’ll figure it out.” She took ahold of Bridger’s hand. “I’m sure you two are busy running errands, and I have a couple of calls I have to make.”
“But—” Bridger started.
“I can watch him.”
Noah choked or coughed. Either way, he couldn’t catch his breath, and he had to take a few steps away to put distance between himself and their little group.
Bridger’s eyes flew wide, and Mack had never seen a smile so wide.
Lacey looked about ready to rip Mack’s throat out.
It was harder than Mack thought possible not to laugh at the situation.
Lacey was up against a wall. He was certain she wasn’t willing to skip a shift—not with how much importance she’d placed on taking care of her kid.
Based on their small apartment and her fury that he took up a table for most of her shift while at work, he’d imagine she was as frugal as they came.
“You wouldn’t even have to pay me.”
That caught her attention. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and gave him a contemplative look. Then she shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Lacey—” he argued, but the kid stepped in.
“Why not, Mom? You know where he lives. And he’s Uncle Caleb’s brother. Sammie likes him. And he’s nice.”
To her credit, she looked as though she was going to be sick. This was not something she was comfortable with. He couldn’t blame her. And yet, at the same time, he was a little wounded by the realization.
Her eyes darted from Bridger to Mack and back again. A small laugh trickled from her lips. “I’m sure Mack has better things to do?—”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t prepared to follow through,” he pointed out.
If his brother weren’t watching with an above average amount of interest, Mack might have leaned closer to her like he had when they were huddled between the trucks in front of the bookstore.
As it was, he needed to hold back so he didn’t draw even more unwanted attention.
Lacey shifted, then she adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. She chewed on her lower lip, then shifted her weight again. “My shift is from four until midnight.” She said it in such a way that almost sounded like she wanted to convince him that this wasn’t a good idea.
Mack shrugged. “I’m sure we can come up with something fun to do until bedtime. I don’t mind putting the kid to bed if you can give me a key.”
She frowned, her eyes dropping to Bridger, who wore the epitome of what could be described as puppy dog eyes. His lower lip had been pushed out, and he held up his hands clasped together. “ Please ?” he begged.
Noah snorted, but it was more out of amusement than anything else.
Mack tilted his head, his smile growing. “Yeah… please?”
Lacey mumbled something under her breath, but it sounded more like a groan. “Fine.”
He couldn’t be sure, but he could have sworn he heard an audible gasp from both Bridger and Noah. The kid jumped up and down. Noah muttered something Mack couldn’t understand.
She held up one finger. “Just this once. Is that clear?”
Mack grinned down at Bridger then nudged them. “Ya hear that, kid? You get to hang out with me today.”
“I know I’m going to regret this.” Lacey pressed her fingers to her temples. She lifted her gaze to meet his.
He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”