She was so focused on the spider, as if she had tunnel vision, that she didn’t see the others. Wasn’t even aware that she was not alone in the shop, until she heard Midge’s voice.
“Good grief, stop screaming, would you? You scream like a girl.”
Gina looked up, trying to fight the shivers that kept running down her arms and legs. Goose bumps pimpled her flesh. And she saw him. The cowboy. In her fright, it took a moment to remember his name. Aidan. That was it. Aidan.
She rolled her eyes, irritation dimming the fear for a moment. He wouldn’t want anything to do with her after this escapade. What a frickin’ nut case he must think she was!
Midge looked at the spider, then dashed toward the back room.
Gina called out, “Where are you going?”
Midge yelled over her shoulder, “To get the spider spray. Ain’t no way I’m going to step on that thing! It’ll be gross – guts everywhere!”
She disappeared into the office and from all the clanking and banging, it sounded like she was making quite a mess trying to find the spray she was looking for. Aidan stepped forward and eyed the spider still exploring the floor directly below Gina’s perch.
Calm as could be, he walked over, picked up a piece of paper and scooped the spider up. It jerked a bit, then froze. Aidan strode to the front door. Gina stood up on the table and watched as he opened the door, squatted down and tipped the paper. Stunned, she stood and watched. She’d never seen anyone do that before.
Midge burst through the back door, the glossy black can of spider spray leading the way. She stopped and her hand dropped, limp at her side. She blinked, then moved toward the crafting table. She looked up at Gina, then glanced over her shoulder at Aidan, who walked toward them down the center aisle of the store.
Midge mumbled, “What the—”
Gina broke in, her voice incredulous. “He didn’t kill it. He released it.”
Aidan came to a stop just before he stepped on the blizzard of papers on the floor. He shrugged. “I took him outside. The spider.”
“But,” Gina frowned as she sat down and swung her feet off the table. “It was a spider.”
Aidan stepped carefully between the papers, then reached out for Gina’s hand. She hesitated a moment, then placed her hand in his and let him help her down from the table. His eyes were beautiful, so clear and bright and blue, shot through with streaks like lightning, like nothing she’d ever seen before.
Midge broke in, “Don’t worry about me, you two. I can pick all this up all by my lonesome.”
Gina tore her eyes away from the cowboy and looked down at her friend, who squatted on the floor gathering up the stuff that Gina had sent flying through the air when she freaked out about the spider.
Suddenly, she was mortified at how she acted. She averted her eyes and righted the box that she had tossed aside in her panic. She picked up small boxes of embellishments and brads, and Aidan squatted on his heels beside her.
He picked up a card and looked at it. He said, “Hey, these are the invitations for the barbecue!”
She nodded, feeling her cheeks flush as she realized that she had just dumped the entire set of invitations. She couldn’t even remember the last time that she mopped the floor. Last Monday? She picked one up and examined it. She blew on it, to get the dust off of it, then brushed it off. She placed it carefully on the table, then picked up another. Aidan stared at the invitation he held between his thumb and forefinger.
Damn. Her first really good job, almost a real corporate job, and she screwed it up after all the time that she had put into designing and making them.
He flicked it with his other hand and said, “These are the invitations you made for my boss.”
She murmured, “I’ll redo them.” Double the cost of supplies. There went her profit margin.
He scooped up a bunch of the invitations and tapped them together on the floor to straighten them up, then glanced at her. “Why would you do that? What’s wrong with ‘em?”
Midge said, “She’s worried that they’re messed up now and you won’t be happy with them. Or that your boss won’t be happy with them.”
Aidan scooped up another handful of invitations, added them to the stack he’d already started and straightened up. “Nothing wrong with these. They’ll be just fine. I’m sure Beth will be thrilled to pieces with them.”
He set the invitations on the table and again held out his hand to Gina. She felt herself wilt just a little at the gesture. She hated feeling helpless and for some reason, that was exactly the way she felt at that moment. She wasn’t in control of the situation. Didn’t present the image of a professional woman. She reached up and took his hand then straightened.
He kept hold of her hand even after she stood. His grip was strong and sure, hardened with hard work. Her instincts had been right. He wasn’t a wannabe. He was the real deal. She looked up into his eyes and felt her knees melt.
He spoke softly. “Again, I’m really sorry about your little boy.”
“It’s okay.” It wasn’t. Not really. But she had a job to do. “Toby’s been telling everybody that he’s a real cowboy now.”
His blue eyes sparkled and he smiled. A little dimple formed in his left cheek. She hadn’t noticed that before. He gave her hand a little squeeze, rubbed his thumb across hers, then released her.
Her body betrayed her. In spite of the fact that he was irresponsible and rough around the edges, he was sexy as hell. If she felt that way just touching his hand, she couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be close to him, to kiss him, to be cradled in his arms. She wanted to run her fingers over her chest, trace the lines of muscles along his abdomen, follow the trail of dark hair down his chest and lower—
She glanced at Midge and she could tell by her friend’s face, it wasn’t a secret. Desire was written all over her face. No, not just desire. Lust. Her friend was grinning at her, and winked as she picked up the box of embellishments.
Midge said, “You all go ahead and talk about whatever you need to talk about. I’m just going to take these to the back room. To the store room. It may take me a long time to get these things put away. A long time.”
One dark eyebrow twitched up as he looked at Gina, then said, “Didn’t you just bring these out of the store room?”
Midge answered for her. “Gina is kind of a space case sometimes. I’m sure she didn’t add them to inventory, so I’m just going to go back there and check every single one of these little packages to make sure they’re on the computer.”
Gina felt the blush rise up her cheeks again. Damn it! Why did she have to wear her emotions on her sleeve? It was damned embarrassing. She pointed to the chair on the opposite side of the table, indicating that he should sit, then she sat down at the table in the chair that she had just leapt into a little bit ago. She scooted the invitations toward him.
He reached out to take the cards, and their fingers touched. It was like an arc of electricity flowed between them. Gina felt a tingle run up her finger, through her hand, up her arm and into her shoulder. The jolt went straight to her heart.
She blinked and yanked her hand back. The man across from her watched her, those amazing blue eyes focused on her. She’d felt that tingle when they touched. Had he?
He looked at her expectantly, his eyebrows raised, lifting his cowboy hat up just a touch. He asked, “Well?”
“Uh,” Gina fought to gain her bearings, then stuttered, “I-I’m sorry. What’d you say?”
Midge snorted behind her, “He just asked if you were interested in a little passionate entanglement of the legs.”
Gina sputtered, but couldn’t form a word to save her soul. Aidan grinned, exposing teeth that seemed even whiter against his tanned skin. One of his front teeth had a tiny chip out of it. “So, how ‘bout it?”
Gina flashed a warning look at her friend. “Ignore Midge. She’s always saying stuff like that.” But the seed had been planted. Now she was thinking about it. With him.
Midge cackled in an impression of a witch. “Made you think, didn’t it?”
Aidan leaned across the table and whispered conspiratorially to Gina, “Okay, she did make me think about it for just a moment.”
Gina blushed and turned to shoot Midge a dirty look. All she got in return was a big cheesy wink. Aidan cleared his throat and she turned back to face him. Her cheeks were flushed, yet his rough-stubbled face showed no sign of embarrassment. His blue eyes were intent on her, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
Finally, she muttered, “Sorry about her. I keep her around for the comic relief.”
“She’s good at her job.” He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward.
She was drawn forward, toward him. “That she does. Anyway, you were saying?” Gina swallowed hard. This man oozed testosterone.
“I asked if you’re still able to join us out at the Diamond J for the barbecue.”
Was he asking her out? She wasn’t sure. What did “us” mean? She would love to go, but would she make an appearance there only to be embarrassed when he already had a rodeo bunny on his arm?
But if she took Toby, he would have a ball and she would have someone to sit with. That’d kill two birds with one stone. Besides, Toby would be thrilled at the chance to go to the ranch, but this time she wouldn’t leave him in Aidan’s care.
She nodded once, quickly. “Yes, we’ll be there.” She shifted in her seat, conscious of the heat building within her at the thought of going anywhere with him.
His dark brows pushed together as he stared at the invitation still gripped between his thumb and forefinger.
“Do you think your boss will be satisfied with these?” Gina caught her lower lip with her teeth.
He tapped the invitation against the table. “I think she’ll be more than satisfied. They look great. I’m sure it’s exactly what she was looking for.”
“Well,” Gina said, “You take them to her and get her to look at them. If she isn’t one hundred percent satisfied, I’ll redo them.”
“Hmmmm,” he said, with one corner of his mouth twitching up. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Just the opposite actually. I’m not sure she’ll like them, and I want to make sure she gets what she wants. If she’s happy, she’ll come back. If she’s not, she won’t. It’s good business, plain and simple.”
“I’m sure she’ll love ‘em.” He nodded, then pulled a folded check from his breast pocket and slid it across the table to her. “Here you go.”
She smiled and took the check without looking at it. “Thank you. I appreciate the business.”
He slid the top invitation off the stack and laid it on the table between them. “This is for you, so you’ll have the details. Stick it on your ‘fridge at home. I hope you can make it.”
She picked the invitation up. “Thanks. We’re looking forward to it.”
“Right,” he said. The smile faded from his face, and he stood up. She wasn’t sure what that was about. The invitation had seemed sincere. She pushed back from the table and stood also, then watched as he gathered up the completed invitations.
On the way past the center island, he handed an invitation to Midge. “You’re invited, too, and you’re welcome to bring a guest.” His boots made a rhythmic thunk as he strode toward the front of the store.
Midge called after him, “Thanks!”
He walked out the door, letting in a whoosh of spring wind as he went.
Midge looked at the invitation, then said, “You know, I’ve been hearing about the new management out at the Diamond J. We’re going to this, right?”
Gina walked to the center counter and leaned against the support post, “Absolutely. After getting to ride that calf, all Toby can talk about is cowboys.”
“I can see why.” Midge grinned. “Cowboys are yummy.”
Gina shook her head, then gazed out the big plate glass window, her thoughts on Aidan. He had such an easy manner about him, yet there was an undercurrent of danger. She asked her friend, “Did you catch that right before he left? Did he seem irritated to you?”
Midge shrugged. “Who can tell with men?”
Gina rolled her eyes as the front door swung open and the bell chimed to announce a customer. One of the Friday night croppers hurried in and pushed the door shut behind her.
Gina pushed aside thoughts of the cowboy and called out, “Hello, Linda! I ordered in that billiards paper to scrap your Vegas trip – let me run back and get it for you.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
If It Can Go Wrong
As soon as Gina locked up the store, she hurried home, anxious to see her little boy. She brushed aside thoughts of Aidan and focused on Toby. No matter how long of a day she had, he could make her smile — and today had been long. Her fingers ached from all the inking and stamping she had done, her feet were tired and swollen from standing all day, and her eyes were dry and scratchy from reading the computer screen all day. But she couldn’t complain, she had a job that she loved, even if it was hard sometimes.
She heard Toby before she saw him. He was singing, “Pokémon! Got to catch them all! I know it’s my destiny! Pokémon!”
She could picture the images of brightly colored pocket monsters flashing across the screen. Toby’s voice was much louder and overshadowed the television. His squeals of delight made her heart sing and when he came around the corner from the living room, she wondered if every parent felt this way. At times, she loved him so much it was like a physical pain. She missed him when she wasn’t with him, and everything he did brought her joy. He ran toward her, his arms outstretched, and the last step was a leap into her arms. She reached out and caught him, then swung him around which led to squeals of delight – from both of them. Sandy came around the corner. She leaned against the door jam and propped a fist on her hip.
Sandy asked, “Long day?”
Gina nodded, “It’s always a long day when I’m away from my little rascal.”
She lifted him up and hugged him to her. “Were you watching Pokémon?”
He looked down, suddenly looking bashful. He murmured, “It’s a kid show, but I still like it.”
She kissed him on the cheek and said, “I’m a grown up and I like it.”
“I’m older than both of you and I like it.” Sandy smiled and said, “Hate to run out on you, but I need to hustle. I need to stop by and see my neighbor.”
Gina looked up. “How’s she doing since her surgery?”
“Pretty well. Still moving slow, but that’s to be expected after back surgery.”
As the older woman gathered up her things, Gina pulled a five dollar bill from her billfold and slipped it into the other woman’s hand. “Tell your neighbor to let me know if there’s anything I can do. Give her this, or use it to buy her something.”
Sandy tucked the bill into her purse. She leaned down just in time to catch Toby as he launched himself at her for a big hug. “Bye, Nana Sandy!”
Sandy kissed the top of his head. “Love you too, my big boy.” She slipped out the door.
Toby ran into the living room, where he plopped down and grabbed a toy horse then galloped it across the wood floor. His lips moved as he made whinnying noises. While he was occupied, Gina flipped through the mail. Bills, bills, and more bills. She added them to the basket on the kitchen counter already overflowing with bills. Given that she didn’t have much of a life, didn’t live extravagantly or shop excessively, the bills sure stacked up. Rent was due, the car payment was due, homeowners insurance was due, car insurance was due, all the friggin’ utilities. There was no end to it. A sigh escaped her lips.
She let her head fall back and she stared at the ceiling. Too bad she couldn’t find a knight in shining armor who could whisk her away and make her problems disappear. She could sure use one right now. With a huff, she put her Tupperware container from lunch in the dishwasher, then added the other dishes that were
sitting on the counter. She added soap then started the machine.
It sputtered, coughed, then made a loud screech. She lunged forward and punched the button to make the machine stop, but it continued squealing like a stuck pig. The sound of water jetting into the machine told her that it continued to fill. Suddenly, there was a horrendous shudder, the machine belched smoke from the front panel and then it was quiet.
Toby ran from the living room, eyes wide. “Sounds like a monster in there!”
Gina could feel herself wilting. There wasn’t enough money in her checking account to have the dishwasher fixed. Definitely not enough money to buy a new one. Her credit card was maxed. And she already owed Bob’s Appliance Repair for coming out to fix the washing machine, so she couldn’t call him.
Damn.
It made her physically hurt sometimes to be so broke. Thank God for the child support Steve paid. That allowed her to raise her son on the salary she earned at the scrapbook store, but it didn’t leave much extra.
Toby, in that little voice that made her heart melt, said, “It’ll be okay, Mom.”
“I know, sweetheart.” She bent down and gave him a hug. “Guess we’ll be doing dishes the old fashioned way.”
Growing up, she’d been the dishwasher. This wasn’t the end of the world. She tousled his hair and said, “Want me to read a book before you go to bed?”
He clapped his hands and jumped up and down, then raced down the hall shouting, “Harry Potter!”
She shot a withering look at the offending dishwasher, then put her hands on her knees and pushed herself upright. She walked down the hallway and turned into Toby’s room. It was small, only big enough for his twin bed – his “big boy bed”, as he proudly told everyone who came in – a small dresser, a bookshelf and a toy box shaped like a train engine.
Toby tugged his pajamas out from under his pillow, then flopped down on the floor to pull his pants off. He struggled, tugged and pulled, but when Gina tried to help, he insisted that he could do it himself. He succeeded, finally, in pulling his jeans off and heaved a big sigh.
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