by Dylann Crush
“Eggs den…” Kenzie began.
“Benedict, honey,” his dad chimed in. His mom poked his dad in the gut, and he gave her a confused look.
Cash watched his mom whisper in his dad’s ear. They argued back and forth for a few moments, probably debating whether or not poor Kenzie needed as much help as the teachers thought.
As his parents muttered to each other, Jinx leaned over Kenzie’s menu and pointed to some of the letters.
“See how the d faces that way and the b goes the other?” Jinx’s finger trailed over the tiny print on the giant menu. “Sometimes they play tricks on me, and I have to think about it before I read the words.”
“Me too!” Kenzie pointed to a capital B. “The bigger ones are easier. Do the words ever look like a worm and wiggle on the paper when you try to read?”
Jinx nodded, and the two of them put their heads together, giggling like they were sharing some sort of inside joke.
Cash stared at them, uncomfortable with the way Kenzie latched onto a woman she’d only met once but also grateful that someone seemed to understand what his daughter was going through. Why the hell did that someone have to be Jinx?
Dixie stopped by to take their order, and they managed to work their way through brunch. Jinx took Kenzie’s recommendation and went with the Texas French toast. She practically inhaled it. Ann continued to pepper Jinx with questions. Some she answered. Some she deflected. Some she responded to with questions of her own.
By the time they finished eating, the room had emptied.
“Does Charlie have you working tonight?” his mom asked.
Jinx nodded. “I have a couple of hours before I need to clock in again.”
“Can I see Hendrix?” Kenzie clasped Jinx’s arm.
“Oh, um—” Jinx looked back and forth from Kenzie to Cash.
“Please? I want Nana to meet him.” Kenzie whipped her head around to face her grandmother. “He’s soooooo cute. I want one for Christmas, okay?”
His mom’s brows knit together. “What’s a Hendrix?”
“He’s a Chihuahua.” Jinx turned in her seat to smile at Kenzie. “If your dad says it’s all right, you can hold him for a minute, okay?”
How could he say no to Kenzie when her face lit up like the angel at the top of the Christmas tree? “Okay, but make sure you wash your hands after. Where is he anyway? Did you bring him to work with you?”
Jinx frowned. “I couldn’t leave him by himself. It’s okay though. He’s in a crate in back.”
“Charlie know you’re keeping a dog in her storeroom?” Cash asked.
“I…uh”—her eyes darted to the hall where the offices were—“haven’t quite had a chance to talk to her about it yet.”
Cash took his napkin from his lap and set it on the table. “Best make sure you do. She can’t afford to have the health department close her down.”
“I will. I’ll ask her today.” She stood and turned to Kenzie. “Want to come with me to get him, and then we can take him out back?”
Kenzie glanced his way. Cash nodded. She grabbed Jinx’s hand and followed her to the backroom. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the two of them, hand in hand.
“Kenzie seems to have found a new friend.” His mom nodded toward the two of them. “What do you think?”
“What do I think about what?”
“Jinx. I’ll admit she doesn’t look like your type, but—”
“Whoa!” He stood and stepped back from the table. “Don’t start trying to play matchmaker with me, Mom.”
“Simmer down now. I’m not trying to play anything.” His mother put her hand on his arm—her left hand. Her wedding ring sparkled. Like hell that wasn’t intentional. “I’m just wondering if it isn’t about time you try to find someone special. Kenzie needs a positive female role model in her life.”
“She’s got you…and Charlie. That’s enough.”
“I’m not saying you have to ask Jinx out. But promise me you’ll keep an open mind about dating? You don’t need to find the one tomorrow or even next week—”
“Enough, Mom, okay?” He covered her hand with his own and gave it a squeeze.
“I just want you to be happy. Kenzie too. Y’all deserve it.”
He didn’t hold it against his mom for wanting her kids to have the best life had to offer. But he’d learned one thing—he didn’t deserve shit. If he wanted something in this life, he had to work for it and take it and then fight like hell to hang on to it. He’d fought hard for Lori Lynne, and it hadn’t made a bit of difference. He’d never forgive himself for letting her walk out of his and Kenzie’s lives.
His daughter did deserve everything life had to offer. Maybe his mom was right about needing to find a positive role model for Kenzie. He’d never be able to tell her that. She’d hold it over him for the rest of his life.
“I’m gonna head out back and make sure Kenzie’s not getting eaten alive by a rabid rat-dog. Y’all want to come?”
“We need to get back to the ranch. Tell Jinx we enjoyed meeting her though.” His dad clasped his hand and patted him on the arm with the other.
“Will do, Dad.”
His mom waited her turn, then grabbed him in a hug. “Tell Kenzie I’m looking forward to making cookies with her tomorrow. And remind Jinx about coming for Thanksgiving.”
“Fine. I’ll make sure she knows she’s invited.” He waited until his parents made it to the door before turning toward the back. Almost forty years of wedded bliss, and they were still going strong. Relationships like that just didn’t exist anymore. He shook his head and passed into the outdoor beer garden.
Kenzie nuzzled the little critter against her cheek. “Isn’t he so cute, Daddy?”
“Adorable.” He pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes.
“Want to hold him?” She held it out. The dog scrambled to cling to her palm.
Cash reached for it at the same time as Jinx. Their hands bumped, both trying to grab onto Hendrix.
“It’s okay, I’ve got him.” Jinx smiled up at him, the sun glinting across her pale skin. Her eyes looked more blue than gray out here in the sunshine.
“Yeah, go ahead.” He untangled his hand from hers. “Kenzie, let’s head out. I’m sure Jinx has stuff to do today before she has to be back at work.” He studied her profile while she settled Hendrix against her chest. God, would he ever look at the Rambling Rose’s logo the same?
“Can we take care of Hendrix while she works tonight? Please, oh please, Daddy.” Kenzie danced around in front of him, tugged on his hands, and shot him her best puppy dog eyes.
“I’m sure Jinx has a place for him.”
Kenzie stuck out her lower lip. “No. He’ll have to go back in his crate. But I could watch him. I’ll hold him real careful, I promise. I’ll even do all my homework.”
“Reading too?” he asked. Ever since the meeting with her teacher, he couldn’t help but notice how much she hated doing her reading homework.
She let out a huge sigh. “Do I have to do all of it?”
“Hey, I have an idea.” Jinx paused, glancing over at Cash. “If your dad says it’s okay, maybe you can read to Hendrix?”
Kenzie lit up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. “Oh, please, Daddy? I promise I’ll do all my reading if I can read to Hendrix.”
They didn’t have plans that night. He only pitched in one weekend night at the bar so he’d have time to spend with Kenzie. Sure, why not. She could play with the dog, and he’d have a chance to catch up on some paperwork.
“If it’s okay with Jinx…”
Tiny arms wrapped around his legs like a vise. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Sure. I think he’d like that. Why don’t we put him in his crate so you can get him home?” Jinx offered. “And maybe I can show you a couple of tricks that might help with
your reading.”
Kenzie beamed up at him. “Jinx mixes up her b’s and d’s just like me, Daddy. She says she had diplexia.”
“Dyslexia.” Jinx laughed. “It just means I sometimes get my letters mixed up a little. I had a great teacher when I was about your age, and she taught me some ways to make it easier to see the difference.”
Cash cringed at the mention of the d-word. Kenzie’s teacher had put them on the list for a tutor, but the daily fights over getting the reading homework done were taking their toll. Maybe Jinx could offer a few suggestions. He hoped he wouldn’t regret giving in this time. “So, how long until you need to be back?”
“Couple of hours. I was just going to walk over to Dwight’s to see how things are going with the bike.”
“We’d be happy to give you a ride.”
“Oh, that’s okay. It’s nice out. I can walk.”
“It’ll take you an hour just to get there and back. This way, you can fill me in on how not to kill the critter while we Hendrix-sit for you tonight. What do you say?”
She didn’t exactly smile, but the tiny upward tilt of her lips told him he’d won this round. “Let me just tell Dixie I’ll be back.”
“Yay! Jinx is going to ride with us!” Kenzie grabbed Jinx’s backpack from where she’d set it on the ground.
Jinx reached for it as Kenzie tried to hoist it into the truck. “Oh, I’ll get that.”
Before she had a chance to grab it, the bag tumbled onto the ground. Clothes, toiletries, and a couple of credit cards spilled onto the gravel between them.
Jinx crouched down, trying to scoop everything back into the bag.
“I’m sorry.” Kenzie’s lower lip trembled.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It was an accident.” Cash squatted next to Jinx to help. His fingers closed around one of the shiny credit cards. Turned out it wasn’t a credit card after all but some sort of cash card.
“Here you go.” He handed it back.
She shoved it to the bottom of her bag without looking up. “Thanks. What a mess. I need to better organize my stuff, I guess.”
“Here’s another one.” Kenzie held out a silver and red card that sparkled in the sun. “How much is five-zero-zero?”
Cash looked from his daughter to Jinx. “That’s five hundred dollars.”
Jinx’s cheeks pinkened. “I didn’t want to have a bunch of cash on me while I was on the road.”
Cash nodded. “Okay.”
“This way, I can store the numbers in my phone and don’t have to keep track of it all.”
“Makes sense.” Sure, it might make sense. If he wasn’t already getting a weird vibe from her.
“You ready to head to town?” Jinx stood and slung the strap of her backpack over her shoulder.
“Yep. Kenzie, let’s go hop in the truck.” He made sure Kenzie got settled, then climbed in the cab next to Jinx. What was she hiding? As he pulled onto the road to take them to town, he vowed he’d figure it out—hopefully before someone he loved, like Charlie or Kenzie, got too attached.
Order Dylann Crush’s next book
in the Holiday, Texas series
Cowboy Christmas Jubilee
On sale October 2018
About the Author
Dylann Crush writes contemporary romance with sizzle and sass. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she’s not dreaming up steamy storylines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota. Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, two chaotic canines, and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors, and fans of tequila. You can find her at dylanncrush.com.
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