CHAPTER 11
Elaine double checked the coffee carafes, casting about for something to do. It was early yet. They wouldn’t have a rush for at least another hour. The first wave of ranchers would show up after their morning chores.
Travis hadn’t stopped by the day before. Was it because of her? Maybe he regretted kissing her. She’d never regret it for a second, even though it couldn’t happen again. Wouldn’t happen again. She winced at the dull ache throbbing in her chest. Men like Travis never went for women like her. Maybe he’d decided not to offer her the job and didn’t know how to tell her. She sighed heavily. It was probably for the best.
“We’re all set.”
She spun at the sound of Travis’s gravelly voice, a thousand butterflies taking flight in her stomach. Her nerve endings sizzled at the sight of him. He was out of uniform, dressed like he’d been the day he’d taken her and Dax out to the Hansens. She liked him like this, with his plaid cotton shirt stretched tight from the hard muscles underneath. In uniform, there was so much padding and gear, he was a giant wall. Dressed like a rancher, he was deliciously human. Touchable. She itched to run a hand across his chest.
She must have looked confused, because he spoke again. “I filed. For sheriff.”
“Oh. Wait. Don’t you need anything from me?” Like a kiss? She couldn’t stop staring at his mouth, hungry to feel it on her again.
Stop it, Elaine. He’s not for you.
He shook his head. “Nope. I filed at the election office. The rest is all online. And I’ll set up a checking account later today.”
“Oh.” She took a deep breath. “So, what do I do next?”
He widened his stance, crossing his arms. “Apparently I have to have an office, and it can’t be the police station. So we’re set up out at my ranch.”
Her heart sank to her toes, all her plans for new things for Dax and a nest egg for community college evaporating. How was she supposed to work for him if she couldn’t get out there? She shook her head, fighting the disappointment that crashed over her. “Travis, I- I don’t think this will work. You know my–”
He held up a hand. “I’ve thought about this, and it’s okay. You’re here every day until afternoon. I’m at the station every day until about the same time. I’ll pick you up after work and we can get in a few hours before I bring you home.”
She shook her head again. “But what about Dax? I can’t afford–” She faltered. She probably could for what he was paying her, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave her son. She didn’t have anyone in town she trusted besides Dottie, and the woman had given her so much already, she wouldn’t dream of imposing further. And Dax didn’t like being away from her either.
Travis gave her a reassuring smile. “Dax too. And if we work late, he can go to sleep on the couch.”
“Once school starts, he’ll have to go to bed early.”
“No problem. You tell me what he needs, and I’ll take care of it.”
Her insides turned to pudding even as her heart beat out a warning. Falling for him because he was sweet to her son would surely end in heartbreak.
“Pick you up at four?”
“Today?” her voice cracked, stuttering along with her pulse.
Travis handed her a folded piece of paper. “What’s this? Oh.” Her breath stuck in her throat as her brain registered the amount on the check. More money than she’d ever held in her life. Her hands went cold and clammy in the morning sun. “Travis?” She met his eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
Hunger flared in his eyes, heating her blood. And just as fast, his eyes shuttered and he nodded curtly “Yep. We have an agreement.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And about that…the other night…”
Ah, yes.
She swallowed down the ache that blossomed in her throat. The other night had been a mistake. Holding up a hand, she stopped him with a smile that felt just shy of genuine. “Dax and I had a lovely time.” Somehow, she managed to keep the catch out of her voice. But she couldn’t stop the painful squeezing in her chest. She’d never be good enough for a man like Travis. She was too poor. Too burdened, too… everything.
Her only consolation was the tortured look that flickered briefly across Travis’s face. “We’re going to be working closely together. So it’s probably good we establish some boundaries.”
She nodded vigorously, blinking hard at the sudden itch in her nose. “Of course. We’ve always been professional with each other. Why would that change?”
“Exactly,” he answered a little too enthusiastically.
An awkward silence settled between them.
This would not do. If she was going to survive working with him, she not only had to get a grip on her libido, she had to be able to talk to him like he was a normal person, not the super sexy superhero cop she’d imagined him into. She filled a paper cup and held it out. “Coffee?”
His hand brushed hers and remained a second too long. Electricity raced up her arm, swirling around her nipples and settling in an ache between her legs.
“Thanks,” he murmured, taking it from her.
She could do this. “Day off today?”
He shook his head, eyes hooded as he stared at her intently. “Nope. Helping Hope Sinclaire break a set of mustangs she’s rescued.”
“Oh.” That seemed to be the only word she could form around him this morning.
“Once I know what I’ve gotten into, and it’s safe, do you think Dax would like to come and watch?”
It would be so much easier to keep her distance if he didn’t demonstrate such a soft spot for Dax. “I’m sure he’d love to. He thinks the world of you. And between his visit to the Hansens and the pony rides at the fairgrounds, you’ve succeeded in making a horse nut out of him.”
Travis grinned at her and cocked an eyebrow before taking a sip of his coffee. “Good. Then my plan is succeeding.”
“And what plan is that?”
“Someone’s gotta teach Dax how to be a proper cowboy. So it’s a date then?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll let you know when. In the meantime, meet you back here at four?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Travis lifted the cup. “Thanks for the coffee.” He turned and headed down the street.
She couldn’t help staring as he walked away, mesmerized by the way the jeans molded to his ass. Until she caught Dottie staring at her with a knowing smile tipping up the corners of her mouth.