Harlequin American Romance October 2013 Bundle: Twins Under the Christmas Tree\Big Sky Christmas\Her Wyoming Hero\A Rancher's Christmas (3 page)

Relieved the three males appeared no worse for wear she delivered a drink order to a table while they claimed seats at the bar. When she approached the group, she felt Javier's forehead. “No fever.”

Conway came to her son's defense. “He was warm when we got to the school and I didn't think it was a good idea to leave him there.” He ruffled Javier's hair and Isi's heart melted at the affectionate gesture.

“Are you feeling better, Javi?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Isi switched her attention to Conway. “Why didn't you return my calls?” This gig wasn't going to work, if they didn't communicate with each other. “I was frantic wondering what was wrong with Javier.”

“I'll try to remember to check my phone more often.”

She waved a hand in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Conway Twitty Cash doesn't cook, Mom.” Miguel's gaze swiveled back and forth between Isi and Conway.

Isi got a discount on her meals, but she didn't have the extra money to pay for the boys' food.

As if sensing her dilemma, Conway said, “It's my treat.”

Isi guessed it wouldn't hurt for the boys to eat at the bar this one time. She put in an order for three cheeseburger baskets with fries. While she waited tables, she kept an eye on the trio and couldn't help feel a tiny smidgeon of envy that she wasn't sitting with them. Whatever Conway said appeared to amuse her sons, because they giggled an awful lot. Miguel was a talker, so it didn't surprise her that he chatted with Conway. What amazed her was that shy Javier appeared more animated. Maybe Conway's relaxed personality put her son at ease.

That nonchalant attitude would drive Isi nuts after a while. She was a go-getter, get-things-done-do-it-now-not-later kind of woman and Conway came across as a man who went with the flow. Instead of going after the future, he was happy to let the future find him.

A half hour later, the boys had finished eating and were fooling around with the jukebox in the corner.

“That's too much,” Isi said when Conway left forty dollars next to the empty food baskets.

“You can never tip enough for great service.” He ran his finger along the bridge of her nose. “The swelling's gone down.”

“It's not as sore, either.” She didn't want to tell him that last night when she'd rolled over in bed and had pressed her face into the pillow, it had felt as if someone had stabbed her up the nose.

“I don't think you'll have a bump.”

“I'm not worried about that.”

“You should be, because you have a very pretty, petite nose.”

She scoffed.

“What?” He leaned closer and whispered. “Just because we're friends, doesn't mean I don't still find you attractive.”

Sheesh. The guy was an incurable flirt. The last thing she needed was to allow Conway to slip past her defenses when they both knew they were all wrong for each other. “Javier wasn't really sick, was he?”

“No. And he wouldn't tell me why he didn't want to stay at school.”

“There are a couple of boys who tease him, because he's shy. Give him a little encouragement when you drop him off tomorrow.”

“You want me to give him a pep talk?”

Conway made her handling of the situation seem stupid.

“Sounds to me like someone needs to tell the bullies to keep their distance from Javier.”

“Stay out of this, Conway.” The last thing she wanted was her babysitter threatening her sons' classmates. “Red said I could leave early if it's not busy tonight.”

He slid off the stool. “How'd your test go?”

Startled by the question, she didn't immediately answer.

“You did have an exam today, didn't you?”

“It went fine. Thanks for asking.” She wasn't used to anyone inquiring about her schoolwork.

“See you later.” Conway called to the boys and they left the bar.

Isi ignored another sharp twinge of envy when neither of her sons waved goodbye or acted as if they'd missed her. As a matter of fact, they seemed downright gleeful that they were stuck with Conway.

She returned to work, hoping the night would pass quickly. By the time her shift ended and she arrived back at the trailer, she was exhausted and she still had schoolwork to do before going to bed. When she got out of the car and surveyed the mess in the yard, she groaned. Bikes, pogo sticks, footballs, basketballs, baseballs, mitts, bats, scooters and skateboards were strewn about.

Why hadn't Conway demanded the boys put their toys away before turning in for the night? She thought about doing it herself, but she was too tired. When she entered the trailer, the place was dark, save for the light above the kitchen stove. She stood by the door until her eyes adjusted to the dimness.

Conway slept on the love seat, legs hanging over the end, boots off. His sexy sprawl triggered a vision of her coming home to him every night—until he found the perfect woman and left Isi out in the cold.

She padded closer to the couch and studied him. Why had he cut his hair? Had he wanted to impress her?
Dream on
. The shorter hairstyle drew attention to his square jaw and full lips—a mouth made for kissing as she'd discovered a long time ago.

They'd only shared a couple of kisses before Conway had learned she was a single mother, but those kisses had been amazing. The instant their lips had touched, sparks ignited. He'd nibbled her lower lip, making her yearn for more then he'd thrust his tongue inside her mouth and... Isi swallowed a groan and shoved the memory aside.

She glanced at the living room—toys scattered everywhere. When had her sons accumulated so much junk? She'd bought the toys at second-hand stores and rummage sales, but maybe she'd gone overboard. She was the first to admit that she spoiled the twins because she felt guilty for not spending more time with them. Guilty that they didn't have a father. Guilty that they didn't have any family except her.

She retreated to the kitchen, where a sink full of dirty dishes greeted her. The boys must have used a clean cup each time they'd gotten a drink. Next, she went into the bathroom and felt their toothbrushes. Dry as a bone—they'd gone to bed without brushing their teeth. She didn't have dental insurance, so she was strict about making the boys brush and use a daily fluoride rinse. She walked down the hall to their bedroom and poked her head inside. They were sound asleep in their twin beds—fully clothed.

Isi brushed her teeth, changed into her sleeping shorts and T-shirt then slipped into bed, forgetting all about waking Conway and sending him home.

Chapter Three

The rumble of a truck engine woke Isi at the crack of dawn.

Conway!
Had he slept on her couch all night long?

She sprang from the bed and raced through the trailer. When she stepped outside, only the taillights of his truck were visible as he turned out of the neighborhood. Her gaze skimmed the yard. Bless Conway's big cowboy heart—he'd put all the toys in the box next to the storage shed and had left the boys' booster seats on the steps. When she went inside to make coffee, she noticed he'd also picked up the living room. Every Lego and building block, toy car, board game and action figure had been stowed in the colored bins against the wall. And in the kitchen, there wasn't a dirty dish in sight.

A lump formed in her throat. She'd thought she known Conway pretty well after their talks at the bar. So how had it escaped her notice, that hiding beneath all that sexy charisma and charm was a considerate man?

Conway's thoughtfulness reminded her of how much she missed her best friend, Erica. Isi had met Erica three years ago at the community college when they'd worked together on a class project. Erica had always been there for Isi, helping her out with the boys when the sitter had become ill. This past spring, Erica had transferred to the University of Southern California to pursue a nursing degree and live closer to her boyfriend.

Feeling weepy, she made coffee and decided to read a chapter for class before the boys woke up. After the twins ate breakfast, she'd resume her search for a sitter.

* * *

“Y
OU
WERE
MIA
last night.”

Conway stepped away from the tractor where he was in the process of attaching the mist sprayer he'd rented in Yuma the day before. Will hovered in the barn doorway.

The second-eldest Cash brother had once been a tie-down roper, but the past few years he'd spent more time working construction jobs than he did riding the circuit.

“Since when did you start keeping tabs on me?”

“It was Mack's birthday yesterday, you dumb shit.”

Well, hell
. He'd forgotten. “I was helping a friend out.”

Will walked farther into the barn. “I suppose your
friend
needed help with her bed.”

His brother's words prompted a vision of Conway slipping between the sheets with Isi. Disturbed at how easily his mind put him and Isi together as a couple he said, “You need to go off and rodeo for a while.”

“Why's that?”

“Lately you've been as sociable as a rotting tooth.”

“We all can't be as popular with the ladies as you are,” Will said.

Normally Conway would relish a game of verbal sparring with his brother, but he didn't have time. “I'll call Mack and wish him a happy birthday.” He tested the lock that held the fan sprayer in place then hopped on the tractor seat.

“Where'd you get the sprayer?” Will asked.

“Jim Baine leased it to me.”

“Since when did the feed store start renting farm equipment?”

“I don't know, but when I went to Tractor Supply in Yuma to browse sprayers, the salesclerk told me to stop by Jim's, so I did.”

“How much did he charge you for it?”

“A hundred dollars for the week.” Several months ago their oldest brother Johnny had informed the family that the farm was in financial trouble. Conway and his brothers had pitched in their savings to make up the missed mortgage payments so any new equipment purchases would have to wait.

“I hope you know what you're doing, because I sure as hell would like to get paid back the money I contributed to produce this crop,” Will said.

Ever since Johnny had handed over control of the pecan groves to Conway, the rest of his brothers believed it was their duty to comment on how he did things. Will wasn't a farmer, but Conway felt a special connection with the land and he intended to do everything in his power to produce a healthy nut crop and that meant doing things by the book—like spraying for insects during the month of October.

“Don't worry, bro, I've got things under control.” Conway grinned. “But if you're willing to help out, you can—”

“No way.” Will raised his hands in the air. “I build things. I don't grow them.”

“Is the construction business improving?”

“Ben's got several small jobs lined up to keep us busy.”

Not busy enough to prevent Will from harassing Conway. “I'd love to chat, but I need to spray a few rows before I leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“I'm watching a friend's kids while she goes to school and works at night.”

“Your friend wouldn't happen to be a waitress at the Border Town Bar & Grill, would she?” Will asked.

“Why?”

Will chuckled. “You're the guy two women were fighting over when one of them got her nose broken.”

“They weren't fighting over me. Isi—”

“Who's Isi?”

“The waitress at the bar. She took a punch that was meant for me.”

“Ouch.” Will shook his head. “I don't get why women fawn all over you.”

“Because I'm the handsome Cash brother.” Conway grinned.

“Yeah, right. Wait until word gets around that you're a pecan farmer and not the swaggering rodeo hero you want everyone to believe you are.”

Conway didn't give a crap how his new career might affect his image. For a while now he'd been wanting to settle down and it was only a matter of time before he found the right woman.

“This Isi must be special if you're sprucing up for her.” Will motioned to Conway's short hair.

Isi was special, but not in the way Will meant. Conway ignored his brother and started the tractor. The engine sputtered and coughed before settling into a loud roar, then he shifted gears and drove out of the barn.

He lined up the sprayer then moved through the first row of trees, contemplating Will's words. There was no reason he couldn't work on the farm and rodeo weekends until he found the woman of his dreams. As a matter of fact, he'd head up to Payson on Saturday and enter the Frontier Days Rodeo. Who knows, maybe he'd run into his soul mate.

* * *

“A
ND
HE
LET
us sit on the tractor,” Javier said.

Isi listened to the boys chatter about their day with Conway while she made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Miguel set two plastic cups on the table. “Next time I get to go.”

“And he let me push the brake and—”

“Okay, enough,” Isi interrupted Javier, hoping to ward off a fight. Miguel was jealous that his brother had gone to the tractor store with Conway while he'd stayed in preschool.

“I wanna tractor when I grow up,” Javier said.

Isi cut the sandwiches in half, placed them on paper plates then added apples slices to the meal. “What would you do with a tractor, Javi?”

“I'd help Mr. Conway on his farm.”

“Does Conway Twitty Cash have cows and pigs on his farm?” Miguel asked Isi.

“I don't know, honey.” She joined the boys at the table and smoothed the hair off Javier's forehead. “You don't feel warm.” He wouldn't make eye contact with her and she reminded herself to tell Conway not to give in to her son if he complained about going to school.

Once the boys ate and brushed their teeth, she sent them outside to play in the yard and began making phone calls. Fifteen minutes later, she'd gotten nowhere—each of the women she'd found in the Sunday want ads had already taken babysitting jobs. Later today she planned to put up a flyer on the campus bulletin board and hoped a student wanting to earn extra cash before Christmas would contact her.

A knock rattled the door. “It's me.” Conway stepped into the trailer and his smile faltered. “You're upset. What's wrong?”

For a man who spent yesterday chasing after two demanding four-year-olds and sleeping on a dollhouse-size couch, he looked well-rested.

Well-rested?
That was a unique way to describe
sexy
.

Isi ignored the voice in her head. “I'm not upset. I'm discouraged.” She closed her notebook. “I haven't had any luck finding a sitter.”

“Did you try the online classifieds?” He stopped next to the table and his half smile tugged a sigh from Isi.

“I don't trust those online sites,” she said.

“Why not?”

“They're full of child predators.” Poor Conway. He was really clueless about raising children.

“Can you put them in day care after school?” he asked.

“There isn't a facility open until midnight.” She waved a hand in the air. “Besides, I don't have the money for extended child care.”

“I suppose I could keep watching the boys until you find a new sitter.”

“You can't be serious.”

“Why not?”

She laughed. “The twins are a lot of work.”

“They aren't so bad.”

Wait until he spent more time with her sons, then the novelty would wear off. She went to the window to make sure the boys were in the yard. “I told Javier that he has to stay at school. Please don't let him talk you into signing him out.”

“I wanted to speak to you about that.”

She stuffed her books into her backpack.

“Javier told me that he's getting picked on at recess.”

“You mean teased?” she said.

“Why haven't you spoken to his teacher about it?”

Isi jerked as if he'd slapped her. “You think I've ignored the problem?”

He shrugged. “Then why are the brats still tormenting Javier?”

Angry that Conway believed she was an uncaring mother, she lashed out. “I don't know what he told you, but his teacher assured me the situation is being dealt with.” An image of her son cornered by miniature thugs on the playground popped into Isi's mind. She felt bad that the boys had been placed in day cares and preschools the past three years, but she'd had no choice—not if she intended to make a better life for them. Isi blinked hard.

“You're not going to cry, are you?”

“No.” She fussed with her backpack.

Conway wiped the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone, catching the tear that escaped her eye. “I didn't mean to upset you.”

She sniffed. “It's... I don't have... Never mind.”

“Never mind what? Talk to me.”

“I'm doing the best I can, Conway. I complained to the head of the preschool that Javier said kids were picking on him, but she insisted that the boys would work things out on their own.”

“How long ago did you speak to this lady?”

“I guess it's been a month.”

Conway's jaw hardened. “I can help. Will you trust me to handle this?”

“You don't have any experience with kids.”

“I grew up fighting bullies who picked on me because of my name.”

His comment triggered more tears. “The teacher said I should encourage the boys' father to become more involved in their lives, but that'll never happen.”

“Why?”

“Their father refuses to acknowledge that the boys are his.”

Conway scowled. “Make him take a paternity test.”

“He's already married with kids.”

“You slept with a married man?” Conway gaped at her.

“He didn't tell me he was married.”

“And you didn't ask him?”

“He wasn't wearing a wedding band, so I assumed he was single.”

“The boys' father should be paying child support. If he helped out financially, you could afford day care.” Conway swept his hand in front of him. “You're barely getting by raising them on your own.”

“We're fine.” She wasn't proud of accepting government assistance to help meet her monthly expenses and put food on the table, but as soon as she earned her degree, she'd find a full-time job with benefits and be able to support herself and the boys all on her own.

“Being a single parent isn't easy.” She swallowed hard. “I have no one to—”

Conway cut her off midsentence by pressing his finger against her lips. The tip of his finger slipped past her lip and touched her tongue. A spark of heat warmed her brown eyes as they locked gazes.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled against his finger.

“Trying to stop you from talking.”

Did he have any idea how long it had been since a man had touched her so intimately? Feeling short of breath, she said, “Don't do that again.”

Good grief. No sense playing with fire when they were both destined for different futures—Conway wanted marriage without kids and if she ever committed to a man, he would have to love her boys as much as she loved them.

“Is my touch that awful?” His eyes sparkled with humor.

“Stop trying to distract me.”

“Isi. You're a great mom and the boys are lucky to have you in their corner. Let me help Javier.”

Just because you accept his help doesn't mean you're a failure
. “Fine.” She slung her backpack over her shoulder. “See you after midnight.”

Isi stepped outside and blew kisses to the boys. “Be good.” Then she drove off, thinking she'd better keep her guard up around Conway in case he turned out to be an authentic Mr. Nice Guy—a Mr. Nice Guy who rocked her world. Again.

* * *

W
HEN
C
ONWAY
ENTERED
the preschool, he strode up to the desk and announced, “I'm staying with the boys.”

Both Miguel and Javier smiled.

“You can't stay,” the lady said.

Conway peered at her name tag. “Why not, Rose? I'd like to observe what the boys do during their time here.”

“I can tell you what they do. First, they sit in a circle for story time then—”

“I don't want to hear about it, I want to experience it.” Conway tapped his finger against the sign-in sheet on the clipboard. “Is there a guest form I need to fill out?”