Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Are you planning on scrubbing all the skin off that potato, Cadee Lynn?”
Mama’s question had Cadee looking down at the potato in her hand. She had almost scrubbed all the skin off it with the vegetable brush she was using to clean it.
“Callum doesn’t eat the skin on his twice-baked potatoes anyway,” she said as she rinsed it under the running water and then placed it on the counter with the other potatoes she planned to cover in foil and bake.
“I’m not concerned about potato skin,” her mama said. “I’m concerned about my daughter.”
She shut off the water and grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands before turning to her mama who was rolling out pastry dough for an apple pie. “Why would you be concerned about me?”
Her mama stopped rolling and shot her an exasperated look.
“Maybe because you can’t concentrate on anything lately.
I understood why you were distracted when Huck came back into town.
You were worried he’d find out about Camden.
Now that he knows—and it looks like you two have mended your fences—I thought you’d stop staring off into space, putting on your T-shirts inside out, and forgetting the peanut butter in Camden’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
But you’ve become even more distracted. Are you worried about telling Camden? ”
Cadee was worried about telling her son Huck was his father. She and Huck had planned to tell him after his party, but they’d yet to set a date. Probably because they both didn’t want to upset Camden when he seemed to be so happy lately. But that wasn’t the main reason for her distraction.
Huck was.
She knew he would be around more now that he was trying to get to know his son, but he’d started showing up at the ranch even when Camden wasn’t there.
Yesterday, he’d helped her make peach preserves.
Peach preserves! He’d put on one of her mama’s floral aprons and cleaned canning jars and sliced peaches as if it was something he did every day.
She should have been thankful for the help.
Instead, she couldn’t seem to focus on anything but how sexy his muscled forearms looked beneath the rolled up sleeves of his western shirt.
Or how cute he looked with his tongue sticking out as he tried his best to slice the peaches the way she’d taught him.
Or how tempting his blue-jeaned butt looked between the ties of the apron.
By the time the jars of peach preserves were sitting on the counter glistening in the afternoon sunlight, she had been nothing but a glistening jar of desire.
It was too much.
Just too much.
She couldn’t stop her sexual frustration from spilling out. Even if it was on her mama.
“I can’t take Huck being everywhere! Every time I turn around, he’s there.
He shows up at the ranch at all hours of the day.
He’s at every one of Camden’s soccer practices and games.
He’s been waiting for us at Grounds For Divorce for the last two Sundays.
And yesterday, he even went with us to church! ”
Her mama pressed her lips together and continued rolling out the piecrust. “I would think that was a good thing for Camden’s daddy to attend church.”
“It is a good thing, but does he have to sit right next to me?” And did he have to rest his arm on the back of the pew behind her so every time she started to relax, she brushed against his hard bicep and got a whiff of his spicy cologne?
Did he have to have a deep baritone singing voice that ignited thoughts of him using that deep, sexy voice to whisper naughty things in her ear?
And did he have to glance over at her every time Camden hit an off-key note and smile like their son was the cutest thing ever?
“I just can’t take him always being around,” she fumed. “I just can’t! We haven’t even told Camden yet, and with the way Huck has been hanging out with us, I’m sure the entire town has already figured it out.”
Mama rolled the crust up on the rolling pin and then unrolled it onto the pie plate. “Actually, the townsfolk just seem to think that y’all have rekindled your childhood friendship. I can’t see that being a bad thing. It might make the news of him being Camden’s daddy not quite so shocking.”
Her mama had a good point, but that didn’t help her predicament.
The more time she spent with Huck, the more chance of her doing something embarrassing .
. . like the porch kiss. Or offering him her body like she had the night in the treeboat.
She couldn’t deal with the humiliation again.
Or with Huck getting freaked out and leaving town.
It wasn’t just her he’d be leaving this time. It was Camden.
She couldn’t let anything hurt her son. She wouldn’t.
“I get that you’re not used to having Huck around,” her mama said. “But he’s just trying to make up for lost time with Camden. And I believe you invited him to the ranch and soccer practice.”
“Well, it was a mistake. Like Cooper said, I should have done a better job of setting boundaries.”
Huck was Camden’s father, but that didn’t mean he could infringe on her life.
He couldn’t show up at the ranch when Camden wasn’t there with his hot forearms and cute tongue and volunteer to help her sweep the porch or muck out the stables or make peach preserves.
He couldn’t be charming and funny and sweet.
And he certainly couldn’t bring up their night in the treeboat and say he didn’t regret it.
If he hadn’t regretted their night together, then why had he ghosted her?
The thought of him ghosting her had her angrily throwing the paper towel into the trash. “Can you handle the rest of the dinner, Mama? I need to head over to Honky Tonk Heaven tonight and set some boundaries.”
She thought her mama would try to talk her out of it.
Instead, she smiled. “You do that, honey. But you might want to change out of those faded jeans and inside-out T-shirt. Why don’t you wear that pretty little red dress you bought for Christmas last year and only wore once?
And don’t you worry about dinner. In fact, why don’t you just eat at Honky Tonk Heaven.
I hear that Jaxon makes a mean chicken-fried chicken sandwich. ”
Cadee had no intentions of eating at Honky Tonk Heaven. She planned to walk straight in, set some boundaries with Huck, and then leave. And if she took a little extra time curling her hair and applying makeup, that had nothing to do with Huck.
When she arrived at Honky Tonk Heaven, the parking lot was full and there was a line of people waiting to get in. Since she wasn’t about to wait in line when she had no plans of staying, she headed straight for the front door. She should have known it wouldn’t go over well.
Texans did not like line cutters.
“Hey, you can’t take cuts!” a cowboy yelled. “You have to wait your turn.”
“Yeah!” The woman next to him said, “We’ve been waiting for twenty minutes to get in.”
“Oh, I’m not staying. I just need to talk to one of the owners who’s a friend of mine.”
“Yeah, we just need to talk with the owner!” A woman in a short jean skirt moved out of the line and joined her, hooking her arm through Cadee’s like they were the best of friends.
“I’m so glad you got here, honey. I was starting to get worried.
Now let’s go see our friend.” She tried to tug Cadee to the head of the line and all hell broke loose.
Two big ol’ boys in front blocked the door and everyone started yelling and cussing all at once.
Of course, that’s when Huck stepped out.
He looked . . . damn good. He wore the same black Stetson he’d worn when he’d helped herd cattle, a pair of jeans that hugged his hips and muscled thighs, a snug black T-shirt printed with Honky Tonk Heaven on the front, along with a little devil in a cowboy hat peeking from a cloud, and brown roper boots.
“Hey, now! What’s all the ruckus about? Y’all know we have to limit the occupancy due to fire codes.”
One of the big ol’ boys pointed a finger at her. “That little gal is trying to take cuts. Claims she’s friends with one of the owners.”
Huck turned to her. She watched surprise flicker in those pretty hazel eyes before they swept over her body in the short red halter dress. It was over seventy degrees outside, and she still shivered when his gaze lifted and she read the heat in his eyes.
“So you’re friends with one of the owners, you say? And which owner would that be?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare be a jackass, Huckleberry Hennessy. Tell these folks you know me.”
His eyes widened. “I know you? I mean I vaguely remember having a best friend that looked a little like you. But she was a skinny little thing who hated to wear dresses.” His gaze ran over her again. “Even when they make her look sexy as hell.”
Damn the man for making her breath hitch with just a couple heated glances and a few flirty words. And why was he flirting with her? He had no right to flirt with her.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“And here I thought you showed up tonight to have a little fun. That red dress definitely says I’m ready for some fun.”
“Hell, yeah, it does,” a guy in line said. “I’d be happy to oblig—” He cut off when Huck’s gaze snapped over to him with a warning look that surprised even Cadee. The guy backed up and held up his hands. “Or not.”
“Look, Huck,” Cadee said. “I’m just here to get some things straight is all. Can we talk privately?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. Jaxon was pissed the last time I left my station.” He waved a hand at the line.
“As you can see, we’re packed tonight. So whatever you have to say will have to wait until tomorrow morning.
” He gave her another once over. “But it would be a shame if you didn’t get to show off that dress. ”
Without another word, he took her hand and pulled her past the big ol’ boys, through the open door, and into the loud dancehall.
“What are you doing?”