Whistling Dixie

by Paige Warren

  “Then I guess I’ll have to tunnel out of my room.”

  Lexie laughed and waved her away. Dixie pulled her keys out of her bag, hopped into her SUV, and took off. Knox’s place was easy to find, just like he’d said it would be. She pulled down the long drive and stopped at the house, not sure if she should continue on to the barn or not. He hadn’t told her where to meet him, just to show up. Before she could worry about it further, he stepped out onto the porch, a cup of coffee in his hands. He either hadn’t been awake long, or he was cooling off, because it was hard to miss his lack of shirt.

  She stepped out of her car and made her way up the porch steps.

  “Mornin’,” he said, smiling softly.

  “Good morning.”

  His gaze scanned her from her ponytail to the well-worn boots on her feet. “I see you came prepared to work.”

  Dixie glanced down at her blue tee and jeans. “Well, this is usually what I wear to the barn. Although, it’s hot enough I almost put on a tank top instead.”

  His smile broadened. “I’m glad you didn’t. I might not have been able to focus on my work if you were runnin’ around here half-dressed.”

  “So no shorts then?” she asked with a straight face. “Pity. I had the perfect pair picked out for tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “You’re a tease.”

  “Maybe.”

  He motioned for her to follow him into the house. “Come on in and grab a cup of coffee while it’s hot. Just made a fresh pot. First batch had been sittin’ there since five this mornin’.”

  “Sounds great. I kind of had to sneak away this morning, so I didn’t get a chance to grab a cup at home.”

  “What about breakfast?” He frowned. “You can’t work out in this heat on an empty stomach.”

  She waved a hand. “I’ll be fine. I’m not much of a breakfast person. I’ve found if I eat before ten or eleven, I get sick to my stomach. So I usually skip breakfast and power through my work until lunch.”

  Knox poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “Cream or sugar?”

  She shook her head. “Black is fine.”

  “Woman after my own heart.”

  Her gaze caressed his muscular chest and arms. “What if your heart isn’t what I’m after?”

  Knox busted out laughing.

  “Who said I was joking?” She smiled. “Although, I don’t want some crazy jealous girlfriend coming after me with a pitchfork just for admiring the scenery.”

  “No girlfriend.” His lips twitched as he fought another smile. “And my crazy ex left town. Bryson Corners wasn’t big enough for her ego.”

  “One of those, huh?” Dixie winced. “I hate women like that. Think they’re God’s gift or something.”

  His gaze swept over her again. “Yeah, and the ones who are don’t seem to notice.”

  She felt her cheeks warm. It had been a while since she’d flirted with someone she actually wanted to get to know. She just hoped she didn’t fuck up her job in the process. Dixie drained her cup, rinsed it, and set it in the sink. Knox set his down on the counter.

  “Ready to check the barn out?” he asked.

  “If you are.”

  “The one you’ll be workin’ in is close enough to walk to. There’s another one a ways back, but I mostly house machinery in there. I like having the horses close to the house.”

  She followed him down to the large red barn. There were two horses in a nearby corral, and when she entered the barn, she saw four more pop their heads over stall doors. She wondered if the six she saw were the only ones he had, or if there were more elsewhere.

  “These are the four that need to be exercised today. I’m sure you saw the two frisky fillies in the corral out front. There’s another corral out behind the barn. You can rotate them into there as you clean their stalls.” They moved down the center aisle of the barn and stopped at a door halfway down. “This here’s the tack room. Pick any saddle you want, but each horse has their own bridle. Just match up the names to the ones on the stall doors.”

  “And where do you keep the bedding and everything else?”

  “There’s two more tack rooms. One for feed and vet supplies, and another for cleaning supplies. Beddin’ is stored at the back of the barn.” He pointed, and she saw the sacks filled with shavings. “Hay is in the loft. Just toss a bail down and divvy it up amongst the stalls in here. Once everyone is inside, the stalls down the right side will be filled.”

  She nodded.

  “So… I guess I’ll let you get to it. I’ll be cuttin’ the south pasture if you need me.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  He lingered like he wanted to say something more. After a moment, he nodded and headed out of the barn. Dixie figured she’d better clean the stalls, then exercise the horses, and feed them last.

  She stopped in front of each stall, greeting the mares inside. Snapping a lead rope on the first one’s halter, she led the pretty sorrel horse out of her stall and around the back of the barn to the second corral. After securing her, she went back inside and began the process of mucking out the stalls.

  Dixie worked non-stop from the moment she started until she put feed in the last horse’s stall. Just as she was returning everything to the feed room, Knox strolled through the door. Even with sweat glistening on his skin, he looked damn fine. She watched as he walked into the horse washing stall, turned on the hose, and doused himself from head to toe. And she’d thought those Wranglers looked hot on him when they were dry! Plastered to his muscular thighs and tight ass, it was enough to make her mouth water.

  Knox shut off the water and stepped back into the barn aisle. “How’d your first day go? I’m assumin’ it was okay since you didn’t come get me.”

  “It was fine. I like your girls.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, but only the fillies in the corral out front are mine. These four ladies belong to clients.”

  “Is that why the names are written in chalk on the stall doors and in the tack room?”

  “Yeah. One of them will be leavin’ here at the end of the month. She’s about done with her trainin’.”

  “Do you only train mares?”

  He laughed. “No, there are two geldings out in the pasture. I only set two loose at a time, givin’ them each some time off each week. Some days, you’ll have all six horses in here, and the fillies too. It’s not an easy job. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m sure.” She smiled. Yeah, she was sure. Getting to see Knox every day would be well worth it. The fact he was paying her was just icing on the cake. But if he kept hosing himself off every day, she wouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. As it was, she was having a hard time not walking up to him and licking the water off his chest.

  “Why don’t you let me put on some dry clothes and I’ll take you out for an early dinner?” he asked.

  “Or, depending on how well-stocked your kitchen is, you could let me cook for you.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “You cook? Damn, woman. I may just have to marry you before someone else snaps you up. You’re gorgeous, funny, good with horses, and cook. You’re almost too good to be true.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I have plenty of faults.” She smiled. “Guess you’ll just have to figure out what they are.”

  “Gettin’ into trouble is one of them, I’m sure. You weren’t in the bar five minutes before that fight broke out.”

  “Not my fault! If that guy had remembered he had a girlfriend, the whole thing could have been avoided.”

  He grinned. “I still think you’re trouble. But that’s okay. I like trouble when it comes in cute, fun-sized packages.”

  She cocked her hip and crossed her arms. “Are you saying I’m short?”

  “Darlin’, you can’t be much more than five foot.”

  “I’m five feet, five inches, thank you very much! That isn’t short! You’re just a giant is all. You’re what? Six-foot-six?”

  “Close.” He smiled
. I’m six-seven.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, like you’re average-sized. If you weren’t a walking mountain, you’d realize I’m not exactly short.”

  “Well, come on then, Amazon. Let’s go see if there’s anythin’ in the kitchen you can turn into a meal. If you don’t have what you need, we can always run up to the store to pick up a few things.”

  She stopped beside him, slipped her hand into his, and they walked back up to the house. For someone who was used to men making the first move, it was rather bold of her to just grab his hand like that, but she was comfortable around Knox. Thankfully, he hadn’t pulled away from her. He’d given her an amused smile, but had taken it in stride.

  When they reached the porch, they both toed off their boots before stepping inside. Dixie groaned as the air conditioning caressed her slick skin. Not waiting for an invitation, she began digging through the contents of Knox’s fridge, his cabinets, and his pantry. She shook her head and turned to face him. “How can you get by on so little?”

  He shrugged. “I eat out a lot. The diner is open all hours and, if I get tired of eating there, I can always head to one of the few restaurants town, or drive to the next town over.”

  “Better go get changed. We definitely need to hit the store before I can make anything tonight.”

  He smiled. “You’re really gonna cook for me?”

  “Yeah, cowboy. I’m really going to cook for you.”

  His smile broadened and he headed for the stairs. She heard him walking around up there, heard a bit of hopping, then some drawers slamming. A few minutes later, he returned in dry jeans and a faded navy T-shirt. Knox picked his keys up off the counter and motioned for her to step outside.

  He locked up and they climbed into his truck. When they arrived at the store, they had to park what felt like miles from the door, and Dixie just knew she’d melt before they got there. Knox took her by surprise when he grabbed her hand, giving it a slight squeeze as they trudged through the heat and humidity to the door. Inside, she released his hand and grabbed a shopping cart.

  “What do you want for dinner?” she asked.

  “Why don’t you surprise me? I’m not allergic to anythin’ and, aside from brussels sprouts, there isn’t anythin’ I won’t eat.”

  “An easy to please man?” she teased. “Maybe I should snap you up before some other woman comes along and realizes how agreeable you are. They’d have to be blind not to see you’re sexy as hell.”

  He laughed and followed her through the store. Since she’d never shopped there before, she went up and down every aisle, gathering not only enough ingredients for dinner tonight, but for a few more nights too. If things went well, maybe she’d cook for him again tomorrow. And the next night. And…well, she’d just see how things went.

  It didn’t escape her notice that Knox garnered more than his share of attention from the other women in the store. A redhead in particular kept eyeing him like a juicy T-bone steak. When she managed to put herself in their path a third time, the woman made her move, sauntering up to Knox with a sly smile on her face.

  “Knox McCoy. Haven’t seen you in a few weeks.” She danced her fingers up his chest. “I thought you were going to call me.”

  He managed to distance himself from the redhead. “Hi, Anna. I don’t recall saying anythin’ about callin’ you.”

  She pouted. “But you took my number. You remember? That night in the bar, after we danced?” She cut a glance at Dixie.

  Knox moved even further away from her. “It was one dance, and, as I recall, you shoved your number in my pocket. I didn’t ask for it. I’m sorry you thought I was gonna call.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed before raking her gaze over Dixie. “Who’s this? She looks like you found her in the gutter.”

  Dixie couldn’t stand the woman. She hadn’t liked her the moment she’d laid eyes on her, but now she really hated her. Just because she’d been hard at work all day did not mean she looked like she’d crawled out of the gutter! She cleaned up just as nicely as the next person. Wanting to shove her foot where the sun didn’t shine, Dixie, instead, looped her arm through Knox’s and plastered a smile on her face. “It’s so nice to meet one of Knox’s friends.”

  Knox coughed at the use of the word “friend,” but otherwise remained silent.

  “Who are you?” the woman asked.

  “Why I’m—”

  “My girlfriend,” Knox blurted. “Dixie.”

  The redhead’s eyes widened. “You have a girlfriend?”

  He nodded. “We were just shopping for some stuff so she could make dinner tonight. Weren’t we, darlin’?”

  The look he cast her way pleaded with her to play along. How could she deny him?

  “Yes, we were.” Dixie smiled. “We’d best check out and head home. Don’t want supper to be too late. The morning comes awfully early.”

  “It was nice seeing you, Anna.” Knox skirted around her, Dixie pushing the cart right behind him.

  When they were checking out, Dixie saw Anna again—watching them. She tried, subtly, to show Knox they had an audience again. He didn’t react in quite the way she’d anticipated, though. She’d thought he might put his arm around or something, maybe give her one of those warm, sexy smiles of his. But no, the man had to up the game. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, stroking softly. Just when things were getting good, he pulled away. She was disappointed.

  Her mouth tingled from the contact, and she found herself leaning against him, wanting more. He gave her a few more soft, short kisses before pulling away again. He was a tease! But as she heard the cashier tell him the total, Dixie realized they were in the wrong place for the type of kiss she desperately wanted from the man.

  Chapter Three

  Dixie gave the sauce one last stir before declaring dinner was done. She picked up one of the plates Knox had set out for her and scooped a large amount of noodles onto it. Covering it with the meat marinara she’d made from scratch, she added a slice of homemade garlic bread and set the plate on the table for Knox. She fixed her plate next and joined him. He’d already poured them each a glass of sweet tea.

  Knox took a bite and closed his eyes, his expression one of blissful content.

  “Damn, woman. You’re a good cook. I don’t think I’ve ever had spaghetti this good before.”

  She smiled, delighted that he liked it. “It’s not that hard to make.”

  “If it requires me to do more than stick it on the grill or in the microwave, it’s too hard to make. Darlin’, you can cook for me anytime you want.”

  She felt her cheeks warm with pleasure at his praise. Dixie had been cooking for as long as she could remember, but other than a few mumbled words of thanks every now and then, no one had ever really said much about her cooking. It had taken this cowboy’s pleasure over something as simple as spaghetti for her to realize her family had taken her for granted over the years.

  “Somethin’ wrong?” he asked. “You looked like you were sad and angry for a minute there.”

  “No, I’m fine. Just thinking about my family.”

  “I guess your brother is going to react badly when you get home.”

  She snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. If I don’t show up on time tomorrow, it means I’m under house arrest and can’t find a way to get here.”

  He chewed and studied her. “He wouldn’t really do that, would he?”

  “I had to crawl out the window today. Trust me. If Drew can find a way to keep me in the house, he’ll do it.”

  “Your brother sounds like an asshole.”

  “Just overprotective. They both still see me as a baby. I’ll probably be fifty before they realize I’ve grown up.”

  “Well, if you aren’t here by eight-thirty tomorrow, I’ll come break you out of jail.”

  She smiled. “Good luck getting through the watch dog, unless Drew decides to head out for a bit in the morning.”

  “So, you thinkin’ about making Bryson
Corners your home for a while?”

  “At first, I’d thought I’d stick around and earn enough cash to head out on my own.”

  “But now?”

  “Things have changed.” She smiled. “There’s this sexy cowboy who has me thinking about sticking around for a while.”

  He grinned. “Anyone I know?”

  “Maybe.” She laughed.

  “I know we just met, but I have to admit, I’m lookin’ forward to getting’ to know you better, Dixie. You smile and it lights up a room. What do you think about goin’ dancin’ tomorrow? After work, obviously. You could bring a change of clothes and shower here, if it would make things easier for you.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “It’s a date.” He winked at her. “Who knows? Maybe my lie to Anna will end up comin’ true.”

  “Lie?” Her eyebrows rose.

  “Yeah, you know. When I told her you were my girlfriend.” His lips tipped up. “I have to admit, ever since that kiss in the store, all I’ve wanted to do was kiss you again.”

  “I wouldn’t stop you if you did.”

  He scooted his chair back and crooked a finger at her. Dixie rose and walked around the edge of the table. Knox promptly pulled her down into his lap, wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his mouth to hers. Dixie buried her fingers in his hair and parted her lips, wanting more than a chaste kiss. She wanted to feel the passion that was flaring to life between them.

  As his tongue stroked hers, she felt her nipples tingle and heat warmed her pussy, slicking the lips with moisture. Good God, but the man could kiss! Her clothes suddenly felt too tight, too confining, and she couldn’t think of anything she’d love more than to strip out of them. She’d never been one to move fast in a relationship before, even if she had experienced a one-night-stand or two. Those were different, though. She’d only been out to scratch an itch. With Knox, she wanted something deeper, more meaningful than a quick, sweaty night of passion.

  His hand slid up her ribs to cup her breast and she moaned into his mouth. He gave her two more short kisses before pulling back, his hand sliding down to her hip.