by Jenny Penn
“It’s just my luck, a beautiful woman in need of assistance, and I happen to be very good at satisfying a woman’s every need.” An unrepentant grin curled at Nick’s lips as he offered her that suggestive assurance before extending his hand. “I’m Nick Dickles. I run the show around here, Ms...”
“Lawson.” Without missing a beat, she took his hand in a firm grip and responded without a hint of hesitation in her tone. “Heather Lawson.”
“Taylor Lawson’s mother.” Nick’s grin grew to show off a perfect row of white teeth as he upped the wattage of his smile. “He’s a smart, funny kid. You must be very proud.”
He was trying hard to charm her. From his smile, to his tone, to the way his fingers subtly brushed over her hand as he held it too long, Nick clearly expected her to fold and give into his allure. Heather couldn’t blame him for that expectation, given his reputation, but she wasn’t interested, though it was nice to be noticed.
“And if he were neither of those things, would you say I should be disappointed in him?” Heather asked, blatantly challenging him as she pulled her hand free.
Something told her his response would be interesting, and he handled it with the diplomatic ease of a true politician. It was just too bad his past would never allow him to run for office. Nick could have given Alex a run for his money when it came to most female votes. Hell, she’d have voted for him.
“Thankfully, every child has some redeeming quality to praise, so I have not yet had to worry about a disappointment,” Nick assured her smoothly. “Though, I rarely have a child brag as much about his mom as Taylor does you. He’s talked up your cookies for weeks now and said you would probably be bringing some for our buffet.”
“My son is smart, funny, and honest,” Heather retorted before finally offering Nick a smile. “The cookies are in the back.”
Heather nodded toward her trunk. Leading Nick around the hatchback, she couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t have to suck anything in whereas she could feel herself gaining weight from just listing all the treats she’s brought. Thankfully Nick didn’t seem to notice if her ass slid along the truck’s wheel well.
He was too busy admiring everything that she had managed to pack into such a small vehicle. Heather assured him that it was a talent as she began unloading the trays, but Nick halted her efforts, using a walkie-talkie clipped to his hip to call in a group of boys who made quick work of emptying out all the food.
Heather followed them into the dining hall intent on helping organize everything, but she was soundly rebuffed. While she was thanked for her treats, the boys made it clear that buffet was their responsibility. They were clearly planning on a feast. Heather made the mistake of making that comment to Nick, who smiled in response and moved in close so that the sexy drawl of his only reached her ears, making the moment intimate despite their surroundings.
“A boy’s ability to consume everything in sight shouldn’t be underestimated…neither should a man’s.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Heather also kept her laughter contained as she eased away from Nick, breaking the spell he was working so hard to weave around her. “Now if you’ll just point me to where the spectators are supposed to watch…what?”
Heather didn’t like the frown that curled at Nick’s brow. He looked confused and honestly bewildered as he repeated her own words back at her. “Watch? There is no watching. There is only competing and…well, we don’t have any girls for you to go up against. This is kind of…you know, a man’s sport.”
“A man’s sport?” Heather repeated, having a hard time keeping a straight face. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Oh, no.” Nick shook his head. “This course requires stamina and strength. You’ve got to climb and jump and—”
“Run?” Heather supplied, feeling her pride begin to prickle at Nick’s assumption that she couldn’t do any one of those three things.
“Not to mention the mud,” Nick warned her. “It’s a messy, dirty course.”
“And girls don’t like to get dirty? Clearly you never gave birth or had to clean up after a baby. Mud?” Heather snorted, allowing her indignation to carry her away as she corrected all of Nick’s chauvinistic assumptions. “That’s nothing. When you’re rolling in poo with vomit dribbling down your shoulder, then you can talk to me about getting dirty.
“Challenge accepted.”
“What?” Heather froze at those two words. They didn’t sound good. “What do you mean ‘challenge accepted’?”
“I mean I agree,” Nick clarified, sounding emboldened as he switched sides, taking a stand with her and leaving Heather no escape from the inevitable. “A woman should show these men and boys how it’s done. All we need to get you is an outfit, a helmet, and a pair of goggles, and you will be good to go.”
“Now, wait a minute,” Heather laughed nervously, knowing he wasn’t kidding but wishing he was, not that Nick paid her any mind.
“Matt!” Turning to holler for a fair-haired kid helping to set everything up in the hall, Nick shouted out instructions, drowning out any objections Heather might have made. “Go get Miss Lawson a tournament outfit.”
“Sure thing, boss. What size?”
Nick turned and caught Heather up by the waist. She barely got out a squeak before his hollered back over to Matt.
“Small…but not in all things,” Nick murmured for her ears alone, his tone dipping into a soft, seductive purr as he slid his hands upward.
The broad, strong feel of his palms gliding over her body had Heather jerking away as an unpleasant sensation snaked down her spine. He might be hotter than the sun, but Nick’s touch still left her cold. That was just her luck these days.
“That’s sweet, really,” Heather escaped Nick’s intoxicating warmth to turn and offer him an apologetic smile. “But I’m just here for my son.”
Nick blinked, appearing at first confused and then slowly bemused. “Are you…turning me down?”
* * * *
Alex lingered in the shadows of the kitchen’s doorway, his hands clenched into a tight fist as he watched Nick damn near feel Heather up. Jealousy at his insides like acid, eroding his good sense and leaving only a hunger that had been denied for too long. He wanted Heather. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything.
He wanted to bask in her smiles and drown in her laughter. He wanted her to turn to him for comfort and to hold her close when she was scared. He wanted to feel her soft and wet beneath him and watch her eyes glaze over with passion as he claimed her body. He wanted it all. He wanted everything.
That scared the hell out of him.
This was all Konor’s fault, Alex thought sourly. He didn’t care if people thought he was a coward. He’d have run if Konor hadn’t made his position perfectly clear that morning. He was making his move on Heather, and Alex could either join him or get lost. Getting lost wasn’t an option.
So there he was lurking like a stalker in the kitchen doorway as he spied on Heather and Nick, silently swearing he’d bust the man’s nose if hands got any closer to Heather’s breasts. Thankfully it didn’t come to that.
Appearing completely immune to Nick’s legendary charms, Heather moved away from Nick, intentionally putting space between them as she rejected his advances with an obviousness that could be read all the way across the dining room. Nick’s look of confusion was priceless.
The man didn’t get turned down often, and clearly didn’t know how to handle the moment. Thankfully for him, a pimple-faced teen arrived with the pile of clothes for Heather. Alex wasn’t surprised when she took them, proving that she’d taken Nick up on the challenge Konor had told him to issue.
That had been a clever move on Konor’s part. It proved that he knew Heather well enough to know that her pride never let her back away from either a dare or an argument. As much as he admired her gumption, it also worried Alex because he didn’t want to see her get hurt.
After all, Heather was so soft, so plush-looking. She had
been built for loving, not battle, and definitely not for the muddy course Nick and his guys had designed.The likelihood was great that she’d end up getting hurt. That couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen, because Alex wasn’t going to let it.
He swore that silently as he watched the sway of Heather’s hips as she sauntered off toward the bathroom. Captivated by the come-hither lure of her ass as it jiggled and bounced with her every step, Alex didn’t blink once until she’d disappeared down the hall. Only then did he remember to breathe.
“You can stop glaring at me, man. The woman turned me down flat,” Nick assured him as he strolled over toward Alex, misinterpreting the other man’s scowl.
“She turns everybody down flat,” Alex muttered, before pinning Nick with a pointed look. “And you better not let anything happen to her out there on the course or I’ll be doing more than just glaring.”
“She’s in good hands,” Nick vowed with a smirk that left Alex far from feeling reassured. “In fact, she’s in the best hands around, or so I’ve told by every woman I’ve ever bet.”
“Including your grandmom?” Alex shot back, not amused by Nick’s bragging.
“Including yours.”
“So you’re into the dead now, huh?” Not to be beat, Alex came up with that line, though, both his grandmoms were very much alive.
“Now that is just sick,” Nick retorted with a wrinkle of his nose.
“No, what is sick is my stomach,” Alex corrected him. “I was about ready to vomit watching you desperately paw at Heather. Don’t you know that no means no?”
That question had Nick busting out a laugh as he shook his head. “That’s rich coming from you, because the way Konor explained this plan of his you’re supposed ambush the poor girl in the damn tunnel and then take advantage of her, or am I mistaken?”
“No, you got that right.” Alex sighed, wondering again why the hell he’d ever agreed to go along with this sure-to-fail plan.
“So? Inquiring minds, man? We want to know, you gonna do it?” Nick pressed, his glinting with something more than amusement, with something that aroused Alex’s suspicions.
“You guys are betting on me, aren’t you?” Alex knew he had it right when Nick’s grin only grew but the man didn’t answer, not directly.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Nick shrugged but couldn’t seem to wipe the smirk from his face. “Still, I wouldn’t mind having an inside scoop. You gonna do it, man? You going to kiss the girl?”
Chapter 14
Heather stared at herself in the mirror and wrinkled her nose. She looked like a short, fat ragamuffin in the voluminous white T-shirt Nick had provided for her along with a pair of oversized brown sweats. The only thing holding up her pants was a length of Manila rope that bunched the sweats around her waist like a spare tire.
The poof matched the one her hair made as she settled the wrestling style like helmet onto her head. The ugly thing had been included with the rest of her clothes, all of which she wished she could give back. That wasn’t going to happen.
Heather had rearranged her schedule and sacrificed a whole night of sleep just so she could spend this day with her son, and nothing was going to ruin it. If she had to wear some hideous outfit and get filthy dirty, then so be it. She’d even don the oversized geek goggles that rounded out her costume.
Clinging to the notion that nobody would be able to recognize her, she shoved through the bathroom door. The dining hall was still full of boys working hard to set up everything. They barely spared her a glance as she headed toward where Nick waited by the exit. He let out a low whistle as she approached.
“Looking good, beautiful.”
“I doubt that.” Heather snorted, stepping out into the sunlight as Nick shoved the door open for her. “But thanks for the compliment.”
“I only speak the truth,” Nick swore as he followed her out of the dining hall.
“Really?” Heather somehow doubted that, but wasn’t going to waste time arguing the point. “Then you won’t mind enlightening me about this course I’m about to run, will you?”
Heather cast a curious glance over at Nick, finding his image somewhat blurred by the goggles. They had to go and so did the damn helmet. She’d put them back on when there was actually a need for them.
“It’s supposed to be a ritual recognizing the passage of a boy from childhood into manhood,” Nick explained, pausing to watch as Heather peeled off the offending headgear. “You know those are required for your safety.”
“Thanks, but I think I can handle walking down a path without safety gear.” Heather smiled, trying to make light of her rebuttal, but there was no disguising the steel in her tone. “When I need them, I’ll wear them, though you haven’t told me why I need them, because, as I’m sure you’ll understand, I am not trying to become a man.”
That drew an honest laugh from Nick, who took her arm and resumed escorting her down the path as he offered her a quick explanation of the course. His words, though, failed to prepare Heather for the sight that greeted her as they rounded a curve in the hedge. Her feet failed her and she came to a stumbling halt as she took in the field staged for battle before her.
“Oh, God, I’m going to die.” The words slipped out of her lips without a thought, prompting a laugh from Nick as he admired the obstacles laid out before them.
“Don’t worry. It looks scarier than it is.” Heather snorted at that, drawing Nick’s gaze back toward her. “What happened to your ‘I can do anything a man can’ attitude?”
“Pride before the fall, and this time the fall is literal,” Heather pointed out as she glanced past Nick toward the towering wall dangling with ropes. Heather had a sick feeling she knew how she was going to be expected to get to the top of that wall.
“Don’t worry, we have safety measures in place to ensure everybody gets through this day safely,” Nick assured her, though Heather’s fears were far from quieted.
“I hate to tell you this but that helmet and goggles—they don’t protect a person from broken bones,” Heather informed him sourly.
“No, but I do.” The cocky arrogance in Nick’s tone brought a smile back to Heather’s lips even if it was fleeting.
“You can’t afford to watch me all day.”
“Who says I can’t? What is the point of being the boss if you can’t do what you want after all? And what man would you rather spend the day rolling around in the mud with other than me?”
Heather could easily think of two, but she kept their names to herself. “That’s sweet, but—”
“No ‘buts’,” Nick cut her off. “Everybody running the course has to have a buddy—”
“A buddy?” Heather dug her feet in and forced Nick to a stop at the edge of the crowd, wanting to hear his explanation before anybody could possibly distract them.
“Yeah, a buddy,” Nick repeated. “Somebody to help them through the course.”
“And that’s going to be you?”
“Like I said, I won’t let you get hurt.”
Heather eyed Nick’s grin suspiciously, certain he was up to something, and suspecting she knew what—The Cattleman’s Challenge. While she hadn’t seen Nick’s name on the roster on the flash drive Patton had given her, she didn’t have any doubt that Nick belonged to the club. He was just their type, and she should know because thanks to that flash drive, there wasn’t much Heather didn’t know about the Cattlemen.
Hating herself for it, but unable to resist, Heather had finally given into her curiosity and snooped through the flash drive. What she’d learned at fascinated and horrified her to the point where she didn’t dare to look at either Alex’s or Konor’s files.
She didn’t want to know just who they had fucked and how. Even the thought had her mood souring, but thankfully her son emerged from the crowd to lighten her day. Now as red-cheeked as his friend had been earlier, Taylor damn near vibrated with excitement as he greeted her enthusiastically.
“Hey, mom! Hey, Mr. Dickles!”
“Oh, I’ve missed you, my little snuggle bug!” Exploding with a cheeriness that had every eye in the immediate vicinity turning to watch, she scooped up Taylor in a bear hug. Just to add insult to injury, Heather rained kisses down all over his head as she squealed. “You are so cute! I just love you so much!”
“Mom!” Taylor wrenched himself free, his eyes growing as big as saucers as he glanced quickly around, muttering to her out of the corner of his mouth. “Not in front of the guys!”
“Well, maybe you’ll remember that next time and give me a heads up so I can at least bring a pair of sweats that fit.”
Taylor had the good grace to look shamefaced at that pointed comment. “I know. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t tell you the truth about the competition.”
“And why is that?”
“Because then you wouldn’t have agreed to come.” Taylor matched that woeful complaint with a puppy-eyed look that guaranteed that it didn’t even matter if she knew she was being manipulated, it still worked. Heather still melted as Taylor looked up at her and gave her that old baby voice that always had her giving in. “Then I wouldn’t have gotten to spend the day with you.”
“Isn’t that sweet?” Nick asked, his eyes twinkling with the same knowing amusement echoing in his tone.
“He’s a heartbreaker,” Heather agreed, not managing to disguise her amusement. “Let’s just hope his effort was worth it, and I actually do get to spend the day with my son.”
“Trust me, we’ll keep pace with them,” Nick assured her, causing Taylor to glance between the two of them before landing on Nick.
“Are you going to run the course with my mom?” Awe quivered in Taylor’s voice and Heather knew that her status as cool-mom had just gone up another notch.