by Tina Leonard
She didn’t smile. “Maybe I am.”
“Now you’re worrying me.”
“Don’t be afraid. You’re completely safe.”
He shrugged. “Safe is a relative term. Minimizing risk is the key.” His gaze briefly wandered over her body, and Harper felt instantaneous heat that surprised her before he met her gaze again.
She realized he either hadn’t been aware he’d checked out her curves—or he’d let down his guard for a fractional second. “Why are you trying to hide that my team was here?” she asked, getting away from a thought that was as tantalizingly close to sexy as she could bear. She retreated toward her truck again.
“So what’s the plan?” He accompanied her, guarding her, Harper realized—again feeling that flash of sexy heat she hadn’t planned on. “You came out here to find your team. You didn’t—so now what?” he asked.
“I’ll find them.” Maybe not here—she wasn’t sure how they’d gotten away from her, or who’d helped spirit them off. “Declan, I saw Cassidy and Micaela with guys. The fact that you’re deliberately covering for them pisses me off.” She stopped at her truck, dug her keys from the small black backpack-style purse she carried before looking up at him. “Are you taking a page from your twin’s book? Because lying about my team’s whereabouts feels very Horseman to me. Like I’m talking to Fallon, and not you.”
He pulled her into his arms, shocking her when he kissed her long and slow and deep, leaving her knees weak, her breath tight. Her backpack in one hand, her keys in the other, she had no way to push him away effectively.
Actually, if her hands had been free, Harper knew she would have melted into his arms.
His mouth on hers, demanding and firm, insistent, swept any pretense of protest away. He was hard and stubborn and opinionated, his kisses drawing her deeper into her feelings for him.
But then his lips left hers as he stepped back, and Harper was stunned by how much she wanted to toss her keys and pack into the truck and throw her arms around him, pulling him back to her for another hot kiss.
“Don’t ever mistake me for Fallon,” Declan said, his tone rough. “Your team’s business is between you and them. If they need my help, that’s between me and them. You figure out how to control your team, Harper. If there’s anybody that can do it, you can. But don’t make me the fall guy for your discipline issues.”
She stared as he walked away. Anger practically radiated off of him—and hurt, too, Harper realized.
“Damn it,” she murmured. She’d crossed a line, and he’d struck back.
Unfortunately, he’d struck exactly where she was vulnerable—her secret, white-hot desire for him. And the worst part was, every word he’d said was true.
She was losing control of everything: her feelings for Declan and her team—just as Judy had predicted.
Chapter Nine
“Can we get a puppy, Mom?”
The question every parent knows is coming—and tries to be prepared for—and still Harper ached knowing the answer had to be no. Their lifestyle simply didn’t allow for any kind of pet. She looked at her small, adorable child, his face sweet, his eyes anxious. Declan had picked Michael up from soccer practice in Hawk, relieving Dr. Jack who’d had an emergency big animal call he had to handle. Harper had tried to thank Declan, but he’d waved and headed to his office, disinclined to socialize.
Which was the way he’d been ever since that night at the Honky-tonk.
She helped Michael climb up on one of the split rails of the corral so he could watch the training session. The day was sunny, bright and beautiful, and the team was training in earnest. Since the night they’d been at Ivy’s, it seemed they’d buckled down to their practice.
“A puppy?” Harper murmured, kissing her sweet son on his forehead. She loved Michael so much, wanted to give him everything.
There was no permanent place for them to keep a dog, not to mention a puppy who would be busy with needs of its own. She and Michael lived in the Honeysuckle Bungalow. She wasn’t sure how Trace felt about dogs in the bungalow, and since he owned it, Harper would have to get his permission. Even so, there were already five of them rooming in the cottage, and none of them with schedules conducive to a puppy.
“Can we, Mom?” Michael gazed at her, his attention not on the horses at all, but staying focused on his quest.
“Sweetie, I don’t know where we’d keep a puppy.”
“He could sleep with me,” Michael assured her.
Harper smiled, the word yes hovering on her lips. How she wanted to say yes to her small son, give him one thing that spoke of family and home, that was his alone.
“I’d take very, extra-good care of him, Mom.”
She looked into Michael’s big eyes. Michael looked almost nothing like his father, taking after her side of the gene tree. She hadn’t talked to Michael’s father since the day she’d told him she was pregnant. Michael had never seen his father, and Harper didn’t even know where he was.
It was probably better that way.
“Let me think about it,” she hedged.
“Please, Mom,” Michael wheedled.
Harper hesitated. “Where’s this coming from? What made you want a puppy instead of a goldfish or a bird?”
“Declan has a dog.”
“Oh, I see.” Harper glanced at Declan as he walked from his barn office and headed to his truck. “So you men talked about dogs, did you?”
“He took me to his house,” Michael said. “Gypsy was there. She has long, silky black ears like this, Mom,” he showed her with his hands, “and she likes it when you pet them very gently, like this, Mom.” He showed Harper how delicately Gypsy’s ears must be stroked. “And she sleeps in Declan’s bed. Declan says she’s not supposed to, but he lets her anyway, sometimes. When it’s storming outside.” He thought about that for a moment. “Can my dog sleep in my bed?”
Harper smiled gently, heart breaking inside that the answer to the puppy question had to be no.
“Hi, Declan!” Michael waved enthusiastically, and Declan walked over, his gaze meeting Harper’s slowly.
“Thanks for picking Michael up,” Harper said.
He shrugged. “No problem. I was going into Hawk for feed. It was on my way.”
“Declan says he can get me a puppy,” Michael said reverently. “If you say I can have one, Mom.”
Declan’s gaze met hers. “I see,” Harper murmured.
“The topic came up,” Declan said, ruffling Michael’s hair. “Sort of accidentally.”
Harper looked at him. “You’re doing it again.”
“Interfering?” Declan eyed her. “Actually, what I suggested was that maybe Michael could keep his puppy at my house. Does that fall under the heading of interfering?”
Harper saw Michael’s gaze on her as he tried to wait patiently, oh-so-patiently, for a hopefully positive response. He was glued to watching them both, and Harper’s heart sank a little. How could she deny her son the one thing he’d ever asked her for? She’d brought him to this town, knowing there were no children his age in Hell, she’d asked him to follow her dream—and she knew Declan had calculated all this into his invitation of keeping a dog at his house for Michael.
It was a very sweet thing to do. She tried not to think about what might ever happen if they had to leave Hell, if the team wasn’t successful—she wouldn’t be able to take a puppy with them.
“I’ll be right back,” Declan said, loping off.
“I’ll take very, very good care of him, I promise,” Michael said. “Just like I take good care of you, Mom.”
Harper’s heart turned in on itself, squeezing hard, all the emotions she felt over Michael’s father’s desertion and Michael being raised without even his father’s name sweeping her. Michael did take good care of her—he was unfailingly respectful, and if he ever thought she was down, he worked to cheer her up.
“Oh!” Harper said, surprised when Declan returned, a small golden puppy wriggling in his arms.<
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Michael glowed with pride. “This is Toad,” he said. “I named him Toad, Mom.”
“Toad?” Harper looked at Declan, who grinned back at her. “Toad?”
She watched as Michael hopped off the corral rail and took Toad gently in his arms. “Because Frog and Toad Are Friends is my favorite book in the library,” Michael said, and put his puppy on the ground so it could run. Michael followed the puppy, encouraging the chubby puppy’s every waddle.
“That is such a bad idea,” Harper said to Declan.
“It’s a peace offering.”
“Like I said, a really bad idea.” Harper sighed against the wistful pain in her chest. The puppy reminded her of how far she and Michael were from ever having stability and a home of their own. A dog wasn’t anything unusual for a child to want—wasn’t there a movie called A Boy and His Dog? Or a book? Harper looked at Declan, who didn’t seem remorseful at all about his gift. “I don’t need a peace offering, especially not a furry one that’s going to grow to be about seventy pounds. Some guys bring flowers for peace offerings, you know.”
“Maybe I thought Michael’s heart’s desire was probably a more efficient route to his mother’s heart.”
She raised a brow. “My heart?”
“For the purposes of forgiveness, nothing else.”
“If you felt you owed me an apology, a simple I’m sorry would have sufficed.” She watched her son running, watching carefully as Toad gamboled after his new boy. “Anyway, I wasn’t mad at you for very long. I know you were up to no good at the Honky-tonk, but I also know you’re right. It’s up to me to keep my team focused.”
He nodded. “So we’ll keep the puppy, then.”
“We will keep the puppy?”
“Yes, the three of us.” His dark gaze met hers. “Michael, me, and you.”
Like a family. She shivered unexpectedly. He hadn’t meant that, of course—but it had sounded that way. Or maybe she wanted to hear it that way.
Maybe she wanted the sense of family more than Michael did, in her secret heart-of-hearts. Michael’s dream was simply a puppy—but she wanted a family to replace the one that hadn’t really loved her, a family for Michael so he’d feel secure. She knew how much it hurt to never feel secure; the pain seemed to build in layers over the years that never quite lessened.
“Come on, cupcake. It’s a dog, not an elephant.” He flicked her ponytail, like a playful kid. “He won’t ask you for anything else difficult until he’s sixteen, and then he’ll want a girlfriend, a motorcycle, and maybe some condoms.”
She raised a brow. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Put like that, a puppy seems like an easy way to say yes, doesn’t it?” he teased. “Since there are probably a lot of no’s you’ll have to give him in his future.”
“Is that how it was for you?” she asked. “A dog, then a motorcycle?”
His eyes went a little dark. “I never asked my parents for anything, and they wouldn’t have given it to me if I had.”
She caught her breath at the strange sound of pain in his voice. “Sounds like we grew up a little bit the same.”
His gaze locked on hers. “I don’t know, beautiful. I don’t know.”
“Thank you for the puppy,” she said slowly, knowing that surrender had been inevitable the moment Declan had kissed her. “Michael loves him already.”
“I know.” His whole demeanor changed when he talked about Michael, Harper noticed with surprise, realizing the big man had strong feelings for her son. “He asked me first for the puppy when we drove over to Jack’s. You think you’re having a tough time saying yes? Try being the guy who knows he’s going to get in trouble for bringing a puppy to a mom who’s already displeased with him.”
“I suppose I don’t envy your position.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” He looked down at her, all big and tall and strong—and Harper felt that strange tug she always felt when she looked into Declan’s dark eyes. “The truth is, Harper, I’d do anything to see that kid smile the way he did when he saw Toad at Jack’s.” He glanced toward her son. “If I thought riding lessons or anything else would do it, I’d gladly do it. But that dog made him light up the way he hasn’t since he came to Hell. And I just couldn’t tell him no.” He pulled her ponytail one last time. “Toad can stay with me. Michael’s welcome any time. And I’m happy to take over carpool duty from Dr. Turner. He’s got more to do than I do, anyway.”
Declan strolled off. Harper took a deep breath.
Heart’s desires. She had a feeling her own heart’s desire was the one thing that was going to get her in very big trouble. With the new, tighter set of rules she’d laid down for her team, she knew her own conduct had to be one of steadfast, hardworking above-reproach.
Staying away from Declan in order to set an example for her team was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever done. Especially when she could see the hero worship on Michael’s face, and knew too heartbreakingly well he’d finally found the man who seemed almost made to be his father.
* * *
“That’s coke.” Winter looked at Dark Demon, Rebel Wright, and Jake Masters, son of Wild Jack who owned the training center where the Horsemen worked. Jake was attractive in his own crazy way, as was Rebel and the rest of the Horsemen, frankly, but Jake brought the party. His father was so wealthy that they had a huge mansion, a helicopter and helipad, and, as town legend put it, gold-plated manure in their pastures.
So it was only logical to invite him to the late-night sneakover she and Micaela and Cassidy had decided to host. But hard drugs—that was substandard party favors, in her opinion. “We don’t do drugs.”
“You do everything else,” Dark Demon said, putting it back in his leather jacket.
Winter shrugged. “We party. We have fun. Doesn’t include drugs.”
“How about some Extasy?’ Dark Demon asked, and Winter decided the bouncer from Ivy’s was named appropriately.
“We’re not interested,” Micaela said. She handed the three men beers. “Cool it, fellows. You’ve only been invited here for conversation and a beer or two.”
“Thought you were the party team,” Jake said, “but whatever. It’s cool. There’s plenty of party at the Honky-tonk.”
“So get the fuck out,” Winter said. “This was a mistake. So go.”
“Hey, angel face, cool down,” Rebel said. “We’re cool with whatever you want to do.”
“I think we’re too boring for you,” Cassidy agreed. “Our version of party is softer than Ivy’s.”
“It’s all good.” Demon reclined on the sofa, languidly holding the longneck he’d been handed. “Excuse us if your reps preceded you.”
“What reputation?” Winter demanded.
“Train hard, party harder,” he answered. “Not afraid to try anything.”
“The three of you are douches,” Winter said. She rolled her eyes and sat cross-legged on the floor. “And that’s your rep. Which apparently is true.”
Rebel laughed. “Sassy. I like it.”
“We don’t really give a shit what you like,” Micaela said, shifting her white tank top so that her black bra was hidden. Winter could see the men slobbering over her friends like crazy. It was disgusting really, how men thought you were offering sex just because you invited them to sneak over for a beer. The only reason they’d thought about this mini-party was to put one over on Harper.
The whole new strict routine couldn’t go without a challenge. If Harper didn’t want them at the ‘tonk, they’d bring the party here.
She hadn’t counted on these three to be douches of the first order. “So where’s the real action in Hell?” Winter asked. “In a month, I haven’t found it. But I’m sure it’s here.” She pointed at Dark Demon’s pocket, where he’d secreted the drugs. “And that’s not action, so don’t bother us with that.”
“This is Hell, the dead end of the road, beautiful. The butt on the body of earth. Or you might say the armpit of God he forgot
to wash.” Jake shrugged. “The only action in town pulled in with the caravan.”
“No,” Winter said. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Those are diversions for men.”
Rebel stared at her, his gaze narrowed as he drank his beer. “For men?”
“Why would I care about a fortune teller or parlor tricks?” Winter was bored out of her skull. “There’s nothing that fortune teller can tell us. That whole caravan thing is just a way for Ivy to open people’s wallets. Which I applaud.” Her gaze focused on Jake, who had the money to back any business she cared to start. “Ivy’s business acumen is the one impressive thing about this pimple you call a town.”
The men chuckled, eyed the three of them warily.
“So what are you going to do here?” Demon asked. “You’re already on a team.”
“Team.” Cassidy snorted, pushed her long braid of thick glossy dark hair behind her. “This isn’t a team. It’s a pipe dream Harper has.”
Jake frowned. “Harper’s pretty damn serious about it. It’s driving Ivy nuts.”
“Really.” Micaela focused on the Horsemen and their demon friend. “Why would Ivy care about the three of us?”
“Because you’re good, damn good.” Demon looked at all of them. “She doesn’t want anything like that in Hell.”
Winter stretched from her cross-legged position, noticing the men instantly tried not to look at the bare skin her blue jean shorts revealed. She gave an internal eye roll. “Why?”
“Because you might make Judy’s plan succeed.” Rebel laughed. “For Ivy to succeed and stay in business, not get run out of town, she needs more of us, and less family, less church ladies, bringing their rules and uptight attitudes to Hell. What’s Ivy going to do if a bunch of prim mothers with young children move here and decide Hell is no place for a whorehouse?”
“Is Ivy’s a whorehouse?” Cassidy asked. “I thought it was mostly an establishment for drinking and dancing.”
“Beyond the red door, anything is possible.” Demon smiled. “That door we so kindly sneaked you through the other night when Harper showed up looking for you.”