CHAPTER 13
At four o’clock sharp, Travis pulled up in Weston’s truck. Elaine had barely managed to get Dax showered and into a clean pair of shorts – he’d positively squirmed with excitement when he heard they were going to be visiting Travis’s ranch.
“Does he have horses, too?”
“I don’t know, kiddo. You’ll have to ask him.”
Dax bounded over and waited impatiently as Travis hopped out of the truck looking positively yummy. Heat pooled between her legs. He’d showered and changed into a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Now she could secretly drool over the corded muscles and veins in his forearm as he drove.
She couldn’t hear what Dax asked as he bent to give the boy a fist bump, but her pulse skittered at the smile he gave her son. Even Dax’s father, when he’d been alive, hadn’t shown this much interest in him. Travis seemed to genuinely like Dax, and it made her throat go all itchy.
Travis stood, turning the weight of his gaze to her, heating her like a hot poker. “Shall we get started?”
Business. This is just business, she reminded herself sternly. But she couldn’t help answering his smile with one of her own. His hand burned a hole in the small of her back as he followed her around the truck and opened the door for her. “Wait here while I get Dax settled.”
He turned to help Dax into the back seat, and she caught a whiff of his spicy cologne. But it was the view of his shoulders stretching his shirt tight across his back as he bent to secure the seatbelt that had her squeezing the door handle to steady herself.
Travis straightened and turned, towering over her in the small space the open door created. Her mouth went dry and she focused on the line of buttons going down his front, grateful for once that she couldn’t see his eyes through his aviators. He extended his hand. “Need a hand?” His voice scraped over her, sending a delicious shiver down her spine.
All he’d have to do to win the election was say that to every woman in the county. How could anyone resist a voice with the burr of Elvis, but none of the drawl? Packaged in a hard body with a million-dollar smile? Lawson didn’t stand a chance. At least she hoped so. She shuddered to think what would happen to her if he won.
Dax kept a running commentary from the backseat the entire drive from town. It was better this way, wasn’t it? No pressure to fill the silence with small talk. No opportunity for a misstep. But when the truck pulled over a little rise and she laid eyes on the big red barn and the two-story farmhouse with the wrap-around porch across the yard, she gasped. Her hand flew to her throat. “This is lovely, Travis. You have a lovely home.”
A far cry from the dingy two room walk-up she’d lived in as a child before she’d finally run away. Or the abandoned house she’d squatted in the first time she took a knife to her arm. The scene in front reminded her of a picture book she’d seen once as a little girl. So pretty. So… normal. Longing pressed on her chest. She’d never be able to give Dax anything as nice as this.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a home. At least right now. But it’s been in my family for generations.”
“It looks like a storybook.”
“Not what it used to be. Don’t have time for the upkeep.”
“Will you have more time if you’re elected?”
Travis grimaced and shook his head. “Probably not.” He sighed heavily.
Open mouth, insert foot. She hadn’t even left the truck and already she’d misspoken. “Do you miss it?”
Travis glanced over as he brought the truck to a stop. “Ranching? Sometimes. It’s a tough job. Seven day a week job. No vacation.”
“Kind of like being a police chief. Or a Navy SEAL.”
He let out a little laugh, nodding his head. “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
It spoke volumes to her that he’d chosen careers that demanded a high work ethic. Admiration filled her. She’d never met anyone who worked as tirelessly as he did.
“As a rancher, you call your own shots. And you live close to the land. Both of which I like.”
He looked unsettled. His finger tapped relentlessly on the steering wheel. He seemed like he wanted to say more. “But?”
He shot her a look full of consideration. “I’m good at what I do. Crime’s down. People know each other better. We have a strong community, and I like to think I’m part of why that is.”
“I think that’s why you’ll make a great sheriff.” He had to win.
He shot her another grin that made her weak in the knees. “First, I have to win.”
“Let’s get to it, then.”
She slid down off the seat, and was struggling with the seat latch when she felt his hand at her back again, solid and warm. His breath skated across her neck, setting her pulse racing. “Need help?”
“I’ve got it.” More than anything, she wanted to turn into him, bury her face in his neck and drink in his strong, masculine scent.
“Here, let me. I noticed it can stick.”
His hand covered hers, firmly moving the latch into place and pushing the seat forward. But there was no way she could unbuckle Dax without climbing back into the truck. She was simply too short. Travis must have come to the same conclusion because he stepped around her and easily released the seatbelt. But what made her throat catch was the smile on Dax’s face when his arms went around Travis’s neck. Travis held Dax like he weighed nothing. Even though Dax was on the small side for a seven-year-old, he was still too big for Elaine to pick up. He’d grown out of that before they’d moved to Prairie. Seeing him in Travis’s arms did something funny to her insides.
Dax clambered down and made a beeline for the oak tree that stood off the corner of the house. “Mom, mom, mom. Can I, can I, can I?”
“Not right now,” she called across the yard. “I don’t want you to fall and get hurt. I brought your favorite toys for you to play with inside.”
Travis snorted. “That tree has seen three generations of Kincaids. No one’s fallen out yet.”
Elaine reached for the bag she’d filled for Dax and slung it over her shoulder. “And until this spring, a tornado had never touched down in Prairie, either.”
Travis unlocked the front door and paused, hand on the knob. “He’ll be fine.”
She started to say more, but the words died in her mouth as she stepped inside and took in the giant open space. A thick rug lay in front of an enormous stone fireplace. A long leather couch stood opposite the rug, and behind it a long sturdy table. Beyond the table was an open kitchen with two bags of groceries and a bottle of wine on the counter.
Dax darted around her and pounced on a box of toys waiting on the floor by the couch, activity bag forgotten.
“Advantages of having a family attic.” Travis gave her a sheepish smile before shutting the door and turning the bolt.
She froze at the sound, heart pounding in her throat.
“Something wrong?” His eyes filled with concern.
This was Travis. He’d never hurt her. She swallowed, finding it hard to breathe. “Would you mind leaving the door open?”
Travis’s face pulled taut as they locked gazes. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Then releasing a heavy breath, Travis nodded once. “Sure.” He turned the bolt and pulled the door halfway open.
The easy connection that had been there on the drive over disappeared. All business, Travis strode to the table, gesturing for her to follow. “Travis?”
“Here.” He handed her a cell phone.
“What’s this?”
“Moving forward, you’re a key member of this campaign. I’m going to need to reach you. You’re going to need to make phone calls.”
A flush raced up her spine, and she shook her head vehemently. “Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly. You’re already paying me too much.” She couldn’t let herself become indebted to him like this.
He went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ve loaded it with key numbers. The election office. My cell, the police station and fire station. Dottie’s number, and Weston’s. You can add whatever you need.” He pressed it into her hands.
Didn’t he understand she had to do things on her own? “Travis, I can’t. This is too much.”
His mouth firmed into a line. “It’s not too much. But if it bothers you that much, you can return it after the campaign. The laptop too.” He tilted his chin to the brand new laptop at the end of the table.
“You got a laptop too?” Her voice sounded unnaturally high to her ears.
Travis raised a hand. “Before you trot all the excuses why you can’t, hear me out. We’re both going to need to use a computer at the same time. And once we get your house wired for internet, you can do extra work after Dax goes to bed. Or watch Netflix.”
Her body went briefly numb. Clearly, her brain had overloaded. Travis had called her pathetic little trailer a house. She didn’t even call it a house. She knew better. But he was right, with her salary, she’d finally be able to afford internet. Which meant instead of watching Netflix like he assumed, she could finish studying for her GED.
Travis’s voice went gravelly. “Say yes, Elaine.”
The way he said it took her right back to the other night and his barely-there kiss. The heat in his eyes told her he’d gone there, too. But he’d made it clear kissing was off the table, so she’d ignore the riot of butterflies in her stomach. Not trusting herself to speak, she cleared her throat and nodded.
A knock sounded at the door, and Elaine dragged her gaze away. Weston stood in the entryway, a funny expression on his face. “Am I interrupting something?”