Chapter Two
Eva didn’t get how a little town could be booked solid. She thought rodeos were really old-fashioned, just relics from western movies. She had said as much to Mrs. Cooper, who burst out laughing.
“Honey, where have you been livin’?”
“The city.”
“Ah, that makes perfect sense. Rodeos around here are a big deal. They bring in the tourists and their money. I can’t complain even though I know a lot of the locals don’t really care for them.”
She liked the older woman. Mrs. Cooper seemed to know all the gossip. Eva had taken a walk along the downtown strip of Hope Springs earlier in the afternoon. It was a quaint town—simple, comfortable. After observing some of the people in town, they seemed caring and welcoming. She was sure she had even seen two men kiss one woman, and to her that was strange. So much for old-fashioned values. This place was a contradiction in itself.
Hope Springs was like being in an alternate reality, and she didn’t really know what was real and what was not. It was nothing like the city, the pace slower, and the people kinder. But like anywhere else, she doubted it could become home.
“So, honey, seeing as you’re here, and I know you’re waiting for a certain fireman to finish work, tell me what brings you here. It can’t be just a job you start next week.”
“It’s not.” She glanced down at the cup of coffee that Mrs. Cooper had filled. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m not busy yet. Sometimes things are not that complicated at all. Sometimes things are just … hard. Let me help you out.”
She had never shared her troubles with a complete stranger before. Then again, a stranger had never taken the time to ask her these kinds of questions either.
“Okay, a cheating, stealing, asshole ex. That’s what brings me here. I’ve always wanted to travel, and why not now? It would seem to some that thirty-one years of age is too old for new beginnings.” Wow, that actually stung a little for her to say.
She didn’t feel old, not right now. Especially not after Dalton’s attention. Was it attention? Or was he just being nice? He was gay. That was the only way a guy like Dalton would look at her twice. Short, black hair with a few strands of gray. It had made him seem really sophisticated. Not to mention the firefighter’s outfit and those huge muscles. Until today, she hadn’t realized just how delicious a man could look in a uniform.
She’d never cared about a man’s personal physique or appearance before; it’s why she’d never complained about Mark, but Dalton had been so yummy to look at. It was a challenge to command her eyes to look elsewhere. When he first started speaking it had been hard for her to follow what he was saying. She’d been intimidated by his looks and larger-than-life presence.
“Cheating men are the devil’s work.” Mrs. Cooper wrinkled her nose. “You won’t find that kind of man around here. Loyal, the lot of them.”
Eva bit her lip, and her curiosity got the better of her. “I saw two men kiss one woman today.”
“Ah, you saw Gemma, Aiden, and Marshall. Lovely threesome there.”
“Threesome?”
Mrs. Cooper hadn’t heard her and kept on talking. “They’ve got three kids now, and damn those twins of hers are right little hellions. They’re always here, batting those lashes of theirs, asking for doughnuts. I’ve never been able to say no to the little rascals, so they always get what they want.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“From the look on your face, have I shocked you?” Mrs. Cooper asked.
“It’s, erm, not conventional right? Two men with one woman.”
“For the rest of the world maybe not, but we don’t live by their rules. We’re all about being able to love whoever you want. Judging people won’t get you far here, Eva.”
She held her hands up. “I’m not judging. Not at all. I like the sound of Hope Springs. It sounds really nice.” She wasn’t lying either. The few hours she had been here, she knew it was different from any other place, but in a good way.
“And I saw the way Dalton looked at you. You’re going to get a whole load of loving from him, I can feel it.”
This time, Eva smiled. “You’re too kind.”
“Well, I’m not blind. I know what I saw, and whoever hurt you, don’t let that experience taint your decisions. Where are you headed after here?”
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I was going to stay here a little while.” She was broke and needed money. “Then I’m just going to let the road lead me.” That was the extent of her plans. There were usually plenty of available motels and takeout places along the road. She was just going to take life how it came. Everything else she had done hadn’t given her much in return. She really had nothing to lose.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot of good sense.”
“I’ve always wanted to travel. Why wait?” Her life had gone to shit, and there was no time like the present.
“Ah, wish I could say more. Here’s Dalton now.”
Eva looked toward the door, and if it was possible, he seemed more handsome than he had earlier.
He nodded at Mrs. Cooper and smiled at her. “I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find any places for you to stay. Everywhere is fully booked because of this rodeo. If you’d come yesterday you would have been able to have one of the rooms at Old Willis’s place, but the last one was taken by a honeymooning couple.”
“It’s okay. Thank you for trying. I really do appreciate it.” She pulled out some money and figured she may as well find a decent car parking space and get comfortable.
“I’m a fireman, and I’m single. I’ve got a spare bedroom that you can use,” he said.
She paused and stared at him. “What?”
“You need a room, and I have one.”
“I wasn’t sure I heard right,” she said.
“My house is small, but it has a little garden, and I’ve got an extra room that you can stay in. It’s yours while you need it.”
This man was a total stranger to her. He could be a madman, an axe-wielding madman. Fireman or not, she couldn’t trust him. Smart women didn’t stay in strange men’s houses.
“Mrs. Cooper,” Dalton said, yelling toward the woman. She still held the coffee pot and stopped by his table.
“What is it?”
“I offered Eva a room for the week. Can you tell her that she’s safe with me? Not to mention, the entire town will know if she decides to take a room at my place.”
Mrs. Cooper started laughing. “Well, well, I never thought I’d see the day that someone was afraid of you, Dalton. We don’t have any of those kinds of people, Eva. None of our men are predators. You’ve been living in the city way too long. Dalton is a good man, and you’ll be safe. Believe me.”
Eva felt like everyone was laughing at her. Instead of letting it show, though, she nodded. “Sorry. I guess old habits die hard. Stranger danger, and don’t accept rooms from men you don’t know. I guess if I’m safe I’d be happy to take you up on that room.”
This was all about adventure. She just didn’t expect things to take this turn. Part of her wanted to resist, but a spark had been lit inside her from that first glance. Gorgeous men with bodies to die for never looked at her twice. Since her stay in town would be brief, what did she have to lose? This entire day had already felt surreal, an escape from reality.
“You can follow my truck with your car, if you’re ready to go,” he said.
“Sure, I’ll follow you.”
She wasn’t going to let him take her to his place and leave her only getaway vehicle in town. If things went sour, she wanted to have a way to get out of town in a hurry.
Heading outside, she noticed they were getting curious looks, and decided to ignore them. This stay wasn’t going to be for long, only a couple of weeks, a month at most. She just needed enough money to move onto whatever adventure lay in store for her.
****
Dalton didn’t know if he should be insulted or not. Women had never been nervous about coming to his house. Not many women came to his home. Period. But that was beside the point. The one-night stands were always at the woman’s place or in the local motel. Still, it had been a while since a woman had caught his eye, and there was something about Eva, the mystery woman who needed some help.
Parking his big truck in his driveway, he waited for Eva to stop beside him. The heat was a killer this season, and he tugged his shirt off, as it was covered in sweat. Eva climbed out and waved her hand in front of her face, trying to get some air to cool down.
“Is it always this hot?” she asked, glancing over at him. She pushed her glasses up into her hair, and the curls fell around her face. Eva was a natural beauty without makeup.
“Yep. This summer is set for record-breaking if you ask me.” He had the A/C in his place fixed, and several beers in the fridge.
She grabbed the handle of a bag from the trunk of her car, and it looked to be way too heavy for her to carry.
“Let me grab that,” he said. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got it.” She tugged it away from him.
“You’re one stubborn woman.”
Eva glared at him. “Because I want to hold my own bag that makes me stubborn?”
“It’s polite for a gentleman to do all the heavy lifting.”
“Oh, I see, so does that mean women have to remain barefoot and pregnant, in your opinion?”
This woman was crazy. He held open his arms in surrender. “By all means, feel free to carry it yourself.”
When did it become rude to offer to help someone? He’d been brought up with old-fashioned values, and, until now, they’d never got him into trouble. It was his parents who’d taught him how to treat a woman. He’d heard men in the cities didn’t even bother to hold a door open for a woman anymore, and after witnessing Eva’s little tirade, he tended to believe it.
“I’m sorry,” Eva said, making him stop in his tracks.
He turned toward her, to see her holding out her bag. Dalton debated leaving her to carry the big thing herself but decided against it. There was no need to not be a gentleman. Poor thing was all alone in the world, not even a place to stay. She was probably tired and hungry.
“I’m not used to men being polite. This is … usually this kind of behavior comes with a great deal of expectations.”
He took the bag from her and saw that he’d made her blush. “You’re not used to a man taking care of a woman?”
She grimaced. “I think you could say that. My ex wouldn’t even carry the groceries home. So, yeah, I’m not really used to it. I’ve seen a lot in the past few hours in Hope Springs. It’s like going through a time warp.”
This time he smiled. She was having a hard time dealing with the changes around her.
“I actually saw a guy open a door today for a woman, and also hold her chair out. To me that’s strange,” she said. “You’re staring at me, and I’m getting nervous.”
He looked away but laughed as he did. “You’re in for a rude awakening then.” Entering his home, he moved out of the way, giving her space to enter.
A shower was desperately needed, but first he’d show her around his place. Closing the door, he took a good look at her. The pair of jeans she wore did little to hide her curvy body. She wore a crop top, which also molded to her curves. He’d give anything to get his hands on her hips and feel her plump thighs wrapped around his body. She looked like a woman who’d be passionate, wild, and his cock thickened at the thought of taking her.
No woman had ever held his attention this fast, or this easily.
“So, you travel often?” he asked.
“Not much. This is just the start, to be honest.”
“I’ll give you a quick tour.” He showed her the sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and garden before taking her upstairs. “I don’t have any en-suite bathrooms here, so we just share one.”
“One bathroom. I’m used to it. I don’t mind sharing. Do you leave the toilet seat up?” she asked.
Dalton stared at her. “I don’t know.” Did he leave the toilet seat up?
She shook her head. “Sorry. Just a joke. I’m a little nervous right now.”
“Don’t be. You’re safe here.” He opened the door to the bathroom. “It has a shower, bath, and everything else. I’ve also got some spare toothbrushes if you need them.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s my room.” He pointed at the door opposite the bathroom. “And this is yours.” He opened the door and stepped inside. Moving toward the window, he tugged open the curtains and light filled the space, dust motes floating in the air.
“This is perfect, thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll let you get settled in, and I’ll talk to you later.”
Dalton left her alone, and went to take that shower. He tried not to think about the curvy woman in his spare bedroom, even as his cock demanded attention. Wrapping his fingers around the length, he imagined Eva kneeling before him, opening her lips to take him to the back of her throat. The fantasy was instant, and with a few strokes of his cock, he came, his seed disappearing down the drain.
The orgasm was lackluster, and he knew the next few weeks with Eva in his home were going to be a challenge. He wanted her. But there was no denying she was nervous around him as well.
Dalton had never had a woman question his intentions before, and he didn’t like it. Eva was not from around Hope Springs, and he needed to remember that.
After he entered his bedroom, his cell phone began ringing. He saw it was his mother calling, and he sat down on the edge of the bed to answer it.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Why am I the last one to know that you’ve got a woman staying at your house?”
“You’re not the last one to know.”
“I beg to differ. James was more than happy to call me up and let me know I may have a future daughter-in-law. Then I called Mrs. Cooper, and she said you helped a young woman—”
He was going to give the sheriff something to do. Killing his brother had just gone high up on his list.
“Mom, Mom, please, enough. Nothing is going on. I swear. She’s a tourist and needed a place to stay.”
There was silence, and then his mother released a sob. This was one of the reasons why he never had a girlfriend and kept all of his one-night stands private. His mother would have him walking down the aisle with the first girl who said she liked him.
“I’m never going to know my grandchildren, and I’m getting old, Dalton. Why can’t you just find a nice girl to settle down with, and have babies of your own?”
Once again, he felt a little guilty for not finding the right woman. He wanted kids, to settle down, have a family of his own, but he refused to do that with the wrong woman.
“Mom, please, I’m thirty-nine. I’ve got time.”
“But you’re running out.”
There was a knock at the door, and he sighed. “I’ve got to go, Mom. Talk to you soon.” Whatever happened, he needed to keep her away from his home. If Eva reacted that badly to just offering to take her bag, he didn’t want to even think about how she’d take his mother trying to marry him off.
Opening his door, he was greeted by Eva, and she only had a towel wrapped around her. Her hair was pinned up on top of her head, and she looked so damn sexy that his flaccid cock paid immediate attention. Didn’t she know how sexy she was? Her tits were pressed together, giving a nice cleavage for him to stare at—or try not to look at. The towel did nothing to hide those thick, shapely legs.
“This is really embarrassing, but how do you work the shower?” she asked.
He had a feeling that with Eva in his home, his patience was going to be pushed to the breaking point.