Chasing Trouble (6 page)

“I’ll know for sure at the school board meeting next month.”

“What? Why didn’t they just give it to you now?” Huck asked, tucking his longish hair behind his ears.

“Because the board members are being uptight ballbusters,” Lily replied. “Jenna just has to show them what we all already know—that she’s an upstanding, responsible citizen.”

Ryder frowned. “They can’t discriminate against you.” He looked at Sebastian for support.

While Ryder and Huck were ready for the weekend in jeans and T-shirts, Sebastian looked very much the attorney he was. Colt had found Bass at his office and had to drag him out of there for burgers and beer before the walls of a white-collar job closed in around him.

“It’s not discrimination technically,” Bass said. “The state will do a barrage of checks on Jenna, and when dealing with children and educational programs, people take extra steps to ensure a ‘favorable’ candidate. But the Diamond board will have to vote on who they want to head the program.” Bass glanced at the bar—rather, at Penny—then took a long swallow of his beer. “I hope you don’t have any skeletons in your closet, Jenna.”

Her eyes darted to Colt. Realization hit.

She was trying to hide him in the very literal sense. But could he really blame her? Colt didn’t have the best rep, but he was a bull rider, not congressman. But JJ? That woman had a whole other side to her no one at that table, or in that town, had a clue about. Oh yeah, he knew exactly what little Miss JJ could really do. And that obviously freaked the shit out of her.

Though Colt never wanted to cause her undue stress, he couldn’t help but feel oddly proud. He’d gotten to see something in JJ that he’d wager she had never shown anyone else. And God help him, he wanted to see it again.

Lily had kept him in the loop about all that happened in Diamond over the years, and JJ’s ambitions were not lost on him. In fact, he admired her. Once, after he’d given her and Lily a ride home from their seventh-grade spring dance, JJ had spent the whole ride going off about how Randy Robinson had gotten too handsy and how she kicked him in the shin for trying to cop a feel.

Colt grinned at the memory. Even as a kid, JJ was always trying to show that she wasn’t her mama. Wasn’t the kind to run around and—

Ah, shit…

A fucking Mack truck would be more subtle than what had just hit him. JJ wasn’t worried about the time they spent together. She was worried about how a wild one-nighter would make her look if anyone found out.

“Skeletons?” Huck laughed. “I suspect all the board will find in Jenna’s closet is fuzzy bunnies and rainbows.”

He winked at her, and again, Colt didn’t like the gesture. Though he was only a friend and all of them supported one another, something had changed since last weekend when he’d had JJ all to himself.

Her gray eyes skated over Colt and she took a nervous sip of her longneck. Her hands shook as if she was terrified that Colt was about to call her out—tell everyone about the two of them.

His chest recoiled at the idea, ached that she’d think that about him. He may enjoy women, but he didn’t kiss and tell. And he’d never hurt JJ, especially like that. It was time she understood.

“I agree.” Colt tipped his beer at JJ, hoping he could help calm her. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, sugar.”

Her breasts rose on a deep breath and her gaze zeroed in on him. The look she sent him spoke volumes:
I’m not so sure that’s true.

Colt wasn’t sure either.

“Thanks for all your support, guys.” She quickly changed the subject, and Huck and Ryder started talking construction and the new real estate they were developing up on the hill.

Colt was lost in thought, eyes riveted on the ripe mouth and handful of curves sitting across the booth from him. He understood that this grant was important to JJ and he wouldn’t do anything to assist in a “poor perception” of her or threaten her chances. But he had to have her again.

JJ had somehow gripped hard to a spot in his chest and was refusing to let go. Colt needed to see that fire, wanted to be the one to stoke it. Even if no one else knew about the passionate woman that lay beneath that prim composure and glasses, Colt did. And he wanted another taste of it.

It would seem Miss JJ put her kindergartners and the kids of Diamond above all else. Colt wouldn’t try to challenge that. He would just have to change his tactics.

Chapter Five

“
SSSsssss
…”

“Lord have mercy!” Jenna yelped as Michael held up his pet snake for the whole class to see.

“It’s okay, Miss Justice. This is Drake. He’s a royal python.”

Jenna inched closer, one palm out, the other on the wastebasket, slowly creeping toward her five-year-old student and the three-foot snake wrapped around his arm.

“Michael, honey. Does your mama know you have that?” She tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She never thought show-and-tell would end up giving her a heart attack.

Michael frowned. “My mama is the one who bought him for me.”

Jenna was going to have a long talk with Barbie Biggs. Why on earth would she willingly get a predator for her kindergarten son? As if sensing her thoughts, the snake hissed.

A chill of terror raced up her spine.

“O-okay, honey. Well, let’s get Drake back in his cage.”

Cage. The thing was four pieces of plastic and nowhere near the thickness Jenna deemed necessary to house a fanged reptile.

“He’s real nice, Miss Justice.”

“I’m sure he is, Michael, but let’s just get him back in his little house there, okay? Drake looks a bit tired.”

Michael swung his arm around and peered at the snake’s face. Jenna’s heart beat out of her chest.

“You’re right. He does look tired.” With a shrug, Michael put the snake back in his container and sealed it.

Oh, thank heavens.

Setting the trash can down, Jenna ran shaky hands over her skirt, hoping to smooth away some of her terror.

“Oh-kay, who’s up next? Alex?”

“Yes!” Alex McCade jumped up and ran toward the classroom door. “I gotta get it from the hallway.”

“It’s not a snake, is it?” Jenna rushed out.

“No. It’s waaaaay cooler!”

God help me.

Jenna took a seat behind her desk at the back of the room. She fumbled through the first drawer, searching for her cell. That thing would stay in her grip until show-and-tell was over. Nine-one-one was on speed dial, and kindergartners were surprising creatures.

“This is my show-and-tell!” Alex announced to the room just as Jenna dug her phone from the back of the drawer. “My Uncle Colt!”

Jenna’s head snapped up. Her stare landed on the smiling five-year-old and his grinning uncle standing at the front of the room.

And she thought a snake was bad.

Jenna opened her mouth to say something, but Alex began his proud explanation.

“Colt McCade, a legend. A hero. A…what was it?” He looked up at his uncle and Colt leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Oh yeah! A god among men.”

Jenna rolled her eyes and tried to hide her grin. Had the man no shame? Judging by the smug smile plastered to his face, she guessed not.

Colt threaded his thumbs through his belt loops. That black leather belt lined his hips so perfectly, Jenna had to concentrate on not staring. His blue tee matched his eyes, which were burning a hole right through her from beneath the Stetson he wore. The only time she’d seen him trade his typical baseball cap for a cowboy hat was when she saw him on TV riding. Whatever he put on his head was irrelevant because,
good Lord
, the man was edible.

Even worse, he knew it.

“My uncle can ride a bucking bull for eight
hundred
seconds!” Alex gushed, and the whole class oooohhhhed and awwwhed.

Jenna shoved her glasses up on her nose and pursed her lips. Colt just smiled at her and tipped his hat.

Alex tugged on his shirt. Colt bent down and this time Alex whispered something in his ear. Colt winked at his nephew as he rose once more to his full six-foot-plus height.

He flexed his muscles like a body builder and the class gasped as Alex said, “My uncle Colt is
so
strong.” He tapped his little fingers on Colt’s biceps to emphasize his point. “No bull can buck him off. He’s sooo awesome that the bull is actually scared of him!”

Alex nodded at his uncle and Colt bared his teeth and growled on cue.

Again, the class gasped.

Jenna stifled a laugh. Though Colt had obviously coaxed his way into Jenna’s classroom, he did love his nephew and Alex loved him. Seeing a grown man help a five-year-old impress a classroom of his peers made Jenna’s heart flutter.

“All right class, what do we say to Mr. McCade for coming in today?”

Thank-yous rang out, followed by a plethora of questions. “Can we touch him?” “Can I wear his hat?” “How many bulls have you ridden?” “Do you like kitties?”

Thankfully, Jenna was saved by the bell.

“Recess.” She needed to get Colt out of there. He was flustering her in ways she didn’t have a defense against. Thirty kindergartners darted out the door and Jenna rose just as Colt strutted toward her.

…

“Good afternoon, Miss Justice.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. McCade.”

He leaned back against her desk, his palms gripping the ledge behind him as he crossed his ankles. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Colt could swear the woman got sexier every time he saw her. Tight black skirt that hit her knees, wispy white blouse that was tucked in, and those sex-kitten glasses framed her face so well it made her gray eyes glow. Her hair was secured tightly in a bun, and Colt nearly groaned remembering how long and thick it was when she let it down.

“Colt. I meant what I said at the pool. We need to maintain a distance.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault we keep bumping into each other. Alex invited me for show-and-tell.”

“Uh-huh. Just like Alex came up with that ‘Uncle Colt is God’s gift’ speech.”

“I may have given him a bit of direction on that.” He grinned. “So how about dinner tonight?”

“Colt…” She let out a breath.

“Look, I get it. I know what you’re going through with the grant. And I meant what
I
said at Penny’s. You don’t have anything to worry about with me. It’s just a meal, JJ.”

Her eyes flashed and a delectable pink stained her cheeks. Her expression indicated that things wouldn’t stop at dinner. Which was exactly what Colt was going for.

“You’re injured,” she said, obviously looking for an excuse. But Colt was onto it.

He gingerly rubbed his ribs and glanced at the floor. In his best wounded-bird voice he said, “Yeah, I am. I’m told that a little ice and heavy breathing is the best thing for me. I can think of a few things that involve both those so maybe you could nurse me back to health?” He paused only to scan her body and wink. “Preferably in an actual nurse’s outfit?”

She rolled her eyes but he caught a hint of a smile. “Do those lines honestly work for you?”

He frowned. “What lines? I’m legitimately asking if you’ll take me to bed, then bend over wearing a—”

“I got it,” she said, holding up a hand. Colt didn’t miss that her blush was darkening. He kind of liked teasing the uptight teacher.

He didn’t know why he was so infatuated with her. Maybe it was because he’d never had to work so hard for a woman and he liked the challenge. But it was something more. JJ was constantly in his thoughts. When he wasn’t thinking about her, he was thinking about how he wasn’t thinking about her. The woman had some kind of hold on him.

She was smart, driven, and if he was being honest, way out of his league. He also knew that the one man who got to tame the secretly wild Miss JJ would be forever gifted with an amazing woman to call his own. Colt, who never thought long-term, suddenly liked the idea of having this woman, and her unbridled passion, all to himself.

“So?” He leaned in a little. “Dinner?”

“I’m sorry, Colt, I have plans tonight.”

“Just like the other night? When you hung out with my sister in a bar?”

“Plans are plans.”

He nodded and looked her up and down. He reached out and tucked a curl that had fallen loose behind her ear and whispered, “I know you need to keep your secrets, JJ. Don’t assume I can’t keep them too.”

Her breath hitched and Colt pulled back to see her eyes. They were storming.

“I—ah…”

Her gaze locked on his mouth. Yes! He’d gotten her thinking about it again.

She shook her head, as if to break a trance. “I’m sorry, Colt. It’s just not a good idea.”

“Tell me, right now, it wasn’t incredible between us.”

“You know it was,” she whispered.

“Now tell me you don’t want to feel that again.”

She searched his face. “Of course I do.”

That made him smile.

“But, Colt, I can’t afford a misstep right now. And…” She bit her lip and looked at the ground.

“And you’re worried I’d ruin your reputation?” Though he had an idea this was the case, it still stung.

“It’s not just you I’m worried about.”

“Well, look who’s here!” A chipper voice rang out as if on cue, causing Colt to stand up straight and JJ’s eyes to go wide—then narrow. Colt didn’t even have to turn to see who was coming their way.

“Yvonne, how are you doing?” Colt smiled and the leggy blonde hustled toward him with a little pout on her face. He was on the brink of being in deep shit here real quick, especially since he hadn’t called Yvonne after his quick visit to Diamond last year and even quicker one night with the woman.

“Not so great considering I didn’t know you were in town.” She didn’t stop, just made her way right to him and plastered a kiss on his cheek. He didn’t miss the way her hands lingered on his chest or the fact that JJ was watching every exchange between them.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Yvonne’s voice held an ounce of venom and her pink painted lips pursed as she spared JJ a glance. Barely.

“Colt was just leaving,” JJ shot out quickly.

“And what are you doing here in the first place?” Yvonne looked Colt up and down, in a way women did. A way he was used to. A way JJ had looked at him a time or two even. But nothing about the stacked, overly made-up pageant queen did it for him.

His eyes were set on a curvy brunette with sexy glasses and soft skin.

Yvonne cleared her throat and Colt realized he was staring at JJ and had ignored the question.

“Oh, ah, show-and-tell. Alex brought me.”

Yvonne let out a high-pitched giggle and cupped his shoulder. “Well, of course he did. You’re quite the prize to show off.” When she flipped her hair and added, “Maybe we can get together later tonight like we did last time you were here,” her whisper was purposefully loud enough for JJ to hear and that was all it took for her to put the pieces together.

He watched JJ’s eyes go wide with realization, and Colt felt like an idiot. Though he never made promises to Yvonne, that one hookup with her last year was coming back to bite him in the ass. And whatever ground had been made with JJ was disappearing.

“He is quite a prize, isn’t he?” JJ said with a wide smile. But Colt didn’t miss the distaste in her voice or the mask she was putting on. “Looks like you two have a lot to catch up on…like last time.”

There it was. Those few words punched through Colt’s chest and hurt worse than the damn bruised ribs. He had just lived up to his reputation in JJ’s eyes and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. At least right then.

Yvonne smiled, seeming to like JJ’s “support,” and turned to Colt.

“We should really catch up. My lunch just started. Unless…” Yvonne stared down JJ and it was so cold and presumptuous he felt it from where he was standing. “Unless you already have something going on here?”

Colt knew he was in trouble. Did he want Yvonne? No. But whatever was happening to Jenna over there interested him. The normally calm and cool Miss JJ was donning a fierce scowl and pissed-off glare aimed right at…him? Yeah, he hooked up with Yvonne last year, but surely JJ couldn’t really be that upset since they weren’t together and it was a past incident. Right?

What the hell did I do?

He didn’t have to answer that since he likely knew the answer: he showed up. And now Yvonne was attempting to stake some kind of claim while also witnessing Colt and JJ’s innocent interaction, something JJ was obviously upset about. But he knew women, and the Taylor women in particular, made up the majority of the town’s gossip. Colt wanted to slap his hat and curse himself because damn it, he had come here to win JJ over by convincing her he was discreet.

“There’s nothing going on at all. I’ve got to get to recess duty,” Jenna said sharply and Yvonne seemed way too satisfied with that answer.

Jenna moved past him and toward the door while Yvonne shimmied a little closer into his personal space. Damn it all to hell.

“Thank you for coming, Colt. It meant a lot to Alex,” JJ said as she walked out the door, her words hanging in the air long after she left.

…

“How was school today?” Lily asked both McCade men as she pulled milk from the fridge.

“So good!” Alex said. “Uncle Colt was a way better sharing than Michael’s snake. Miss Jenna didn’t like the snake at all.”

Colt wanted to scoff because Miss JJ didn’t seem to like him much either. But he had to be better than a snake right?

“And what has you pouting over there?” Lily asked Colt as she set down a couple cookies and two big glasses of two percent. Before Colt could answer, his nephew ratted him out.

“Uncle Colt was trying to impress Miss Jenna and it didn’t work.”

“Oh, really?” Lily put her hand on her hip and Colt suddenly found his cookie very fascinating and was not at all avoiding the death stare he knew his baby sister was aiming at him.

“Yep,” Alex said, crumbs of chocolate chip flying from his full mouth as he continued to throw his uncle under the bus. “Then Miss Taylor showed up and—”

“And you were supposed to be out on recess,” Colt interjected. To which Alex just shrugged, not looking the least bit guilty that Colt had caught him eavesdropping by the door earlier and was now replaying everything for Lily.

“Yvonne Taylor?” Lily said with a half grin, obviously amused. “How did that go?”

Colt blew out a breath. He had barely gotten out of a lunch date with the woman, making up an excuse to leave before those press-on nails sank any deeper into his biceps and she could drag him to the teacher’s lounge.