She sat back. “You’ve been looking for people to check on me?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. I hadn’t decided if I was going back or staying here. Plus, I needed to talk to you about it anyway. Getting involved with Clint definitely means I have to stay in town, but I’m not sure if I’ll get a decent job and—”
“You need to stop. For heaven’s sake, you got money. You have time to consider your options.”
The doorbell interrupted us, and I looked over my shoulder to see Tanya at our front door. She had a humongous smile on her face, which alarmed me.
I stood up. “Your favorite little boys are here. And Tanya looks like she’s going to split her lips with the big ol’ grin on her face.”
To my surprise, when I opened the door Tanya’s smile widened further.
“Okay, whatever’s got you this happy, I need some of it, girlfriend,” I said, opening the door wider.
Jared scurried past me, calling out “Miss Penny!”
Tanya came in and shut the door. “While I don’t like gunshots in our neighborhood, it was worth it since I saw Mr. Hipps after Clint finished giving him what for. He left here looking like he sucked on a lemon. Even though I was on the phone with Kyle, I snuck a picture of that. Framing it would be too expensive, but maybe I’ll use a Shutterfly promo code and send out Christmas cards”
I caught her eyes before we fully entered the living room. “Don’t do it. It’s fabulous and all, but somebody around here is bound to show that to him. Then where will you be?”
“High on life is where I’ll be,” she deadpanned while she settled the baby carrier on the couch.
Jared climbed off Mom’s lap and she gave Tanya her big eyes. “What’d you tell Raegan when you came in? Jared stole my attention, but you’re not keeping me in the dark, lady.”
I went to the kitchen while Tanya recounted her picture-taking capabilities. When I came back in with a glass of water for Tanya, Mom cackled.
It was contagious, seeing as I hadn’t heard Mom cackle in years. That meant I was chuckling when I answered my cell phone.
“Hello?”
“What’s funny, baby?” Clint asked.
“Oh, just Tanya. She liked how you handled Mr. Hipps. What’s up?”
His groan edged close to being a growl. “Wanted you to tell Penny she’ll have company tonight. Gabe’s gonna hang with her.”
“Are you kidding? Clint, why on earth would a young guy like Gabe—”
“I wanted Brock to do it, but Gabe was there when Brock and I were discussing details. Thinking he feels indebted to me, but after this we’re square, as far as I’m concerned anyway. Besides, his woman’s finishing her MBA and he’s trying to hustle to finish his own degree. Keeping an eye on Penny for a night is good for both of them.”
I nodded. “Did you forewarn him?”
“About what?”
“About the break-in last night, and about how Mom can be a little... forward.”
Clint laughed. “Honey, Gabe can handle whatever Penny throws his way. As for the other, Gabe has a gun he’ll keep nearby. Forgot to tell you this before I left, but the Sheriff’s Office has put your mom’s house on the list for random drive-bys. Won’t be that frequent, but it should be enough to discourage anybody from breaking in again.”
“All right.”
I could feel the heat of his sinister chuckle. “That’s not the only reason I called, Raegan, so don’t say ‘all right’ so soon.”
A curl of warmth slid through my belly. “It isn’t?”
“No. You’re staying at my place tonight, so you need to pack a change of clothes and your stuff for the bathroom. But, more than that, I wanted to give you the heads up I’m taking you out and if you felt like wearing that purple dress again, it wouldn’t go unnoticed.”
I fought an eye-roll, but couldn’t stop myself from sharing, “Clint, that dress is periwinkle, not purple.”
I heard him exhale. “Is that ludicrous color in the purple family?”
That forced me to audibly exhale before I admitted, “Yes.”
“That’s what I thought. Anyway, wear that, or wear another dress. There might be dancing where we’re going.”
“Dancing?” I whispered.
“Maybe,” he whispered back.
A thrill shot through me. Over the three years Clint and I dated before I moved north, he’d taught me how to salsa, mambo, and samba. Clint was sexy as hell any time of day, but he became sex on fire when he was dancing. I had shoved those memories out of my mind, but now they were back in full force.
“You on the line, Rae?”
“Yes,” I murmured.
“Don’t think this is some excuse to go shopping. For all we know, the fuckers who broke in have eyes on the house. Broad daylight and you got people around, you should be good. But you leave the house for something as stupid as a new dress, that’s another story.”
I didn’t realize I was smiling until my lips pulled into a frown. “Way to rain on the parade of possible dancing going on in my head, Clint. I wasn’t planning to go shopping, and for what it’s worth, I can dance in jeans too, you know.”
“Not if you plan to dance with me, mamita.”
“Whatever.”
“Not ‘whatever,’ but that’s all I got for now.”
“What time are you picking me up?”
“Not sure, but before seven.”
When I pulled the phone from my ear, I realized Tanya had been listening.
Her eyes sparkled when she smiled. “You need another dress, don’t you?”
I couldn’t hold back my smile. “If you’re willing to loan one to me, you betcha. You don’t have anything red, do you?”
Clint
EVEN THOUGH I KEPT things light with Rae on the phone, my gut burned with worry.
She had yet to ask me how the intruder got into her mother’s house. Then again, I hadn’t enlightened her, either. The lock to the front door didn’t show any signs of forced entry, and the faint scrapes along the face of
