He must've rushed home after work to get to the bar.
Emotions clogged her throat. Home. To his children. The children who'd lost their mother four days ago. What was he doing here when he should be home with them?
Wyatt downed half the contents in the mug without getting a drop on his whiskers. Her heart thrummed inside of her. Of course, he was finding comfort in alcohol before facing the sadness waiting for him at home.
She lowered her gaze to his chest, outlined in a tight black T-shirt. Doing construction was working for him. He had muscles on top of muscles and not an ounce of fat on his body.
Biting her lip, she looked lower to check out his cute butt, and he turned, giving her a direct view of his crotch. She almost groaned. He wore Levi 501s, and the material created a pouch in front. A full pouch.
Her body warmed. Conscious of being in a bar with others looking, she raised her gaze and found Wyatt looking straight at her. From the glassy appearance of his brown eyes, the empty cup in his hand wasn't his first one for the night.
He set his glass on the table beside him and strode toward her. She stood straighter, prepared for him to ask why she was staring.
"Write your name on a paper and put them in the hat." Carrie set a pad of paper on the table and several pens.
She focused on entering the pool tournament and tried to ignore Wyatt standing behind her. It wouldn't help her game if she got nervous or self-conscious because Wyatt was only two feet away from her.
Close enough to touch.
Chapter 3Wyatt
WYATT TILTED HIS HEAD and followed the curve of the woman's ass to the sexiest pair of legs he'd seen in a long time. Dayum.
Since when had gorgeous women started playing pool at Riverside Bar?
A person stepped in front of him. He lowered his gaze and found the server waiting to help him. He ordered and handed over cash for another drink. A few more, and he'd feel a hell of a lot better.
The pool tournament started, and the foxy woman won the coin flip. She motioned her hand toward her opponent and turned away from the pool table. He caught her gaze, knowing better than to interrupt the game.
She raised her brows, her full lips softening. Seeing her interest, he walked closer and grabbed a chair at a nearby table. His night was free. He'd drink, and watch the eye candy in front of him
A hand slapped down on his shoulder. He turned to see who it was interrupting his night, and Roddy sat beside him.
"Didn't know you were here, boss." Roddy looked toward the pool game. "Are you playing tonight?"
He'd stopped at the bar to get away from everyone, including his crew. Any game he joined would only be for fun and not when he was halfway to numbing his head.
"I got better things to do than play pool." He reached out for his drink when the server came back. "Keep them coming, darling."
"The same thing?" asked the server.
"Yeah, that'll do for a start."
He went back to admiring the woman pool player. Her skirt was short enough to tease him every time she bent over.
"You never said anything at work about what's happening at home, but I wanted to let you know if you need anything, just ask." Roddy lifted his chin and gazed across the room.
Wyatt looked in the same direction and took in the Tarkio Motorcycle Club members taking up three tables in the center of the room. He had two members of Tarkio on his crew at Carr Construction, Roddy and Frank.
On occasion, he'd hung out with the bikers at the clubhouse, shooting shit and drinking. It was a small town, he rode a bike, and he wasn't picky about who put a beer in his hand. But with juggling work and his kids' schedules, he'd turned down all the invites to do much more than party with them.
"Boss?" said Roddy.
He tipped back the drink and motioned for the server to bring him another one. "I got things handled at work and at home. Go enjoy yourself."
Roddy stood. "You need a woman, boss. Someone to help with the kids. Tarkio can help you until you get your feet under you."
All he needed was a woman to work off some of the pressure he was under. He could handle the kids on his own.
He gazed back at the woman catching his attention tonight. She approached the pool table, a swing in her hips.
Eyeing the balls on the table, she widened her legs, bent at the waist, and sent the cue stick gliding through her fingers.
"I'll give it a thought, Roddy. Thanks," he muttered, leaning back in the chair.
The woman's long, blonde hair hung to the small of her back. Thick hair, he could fist in his hands.
"Boss, if there's—"
"Leave me be, Roddy." He leaned to the side, grabbed his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans, and handed the server three dollars. "I'll see you on Monday. Seven o'clock."
The drinks were catching up with him. He nursed the liquid in the glass. A gentle fog had begun to settle over him. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the woman winning the next two games, but he was more interested in watching the way she moved around the table.
Every time she lined up to take her shot, her lips parted in what he could imagine was the same way she'd
