It Takes a Cowboy

“He lives in my house, he clears his own dishes,” Blair whispered.

Scott stood and reached for her bowl, stacking it with his own. “Then I should get major bonus points for clearing away my dishes and yours.”

“I’m not awarding points.”

He flashed her a smile. “Maybe you should start.”

Scott McKay was the strangest man, Blair thought with a bewildered shake of her head. But—in the words of Arnette Gibbs from the bachelor auction—he certainly had one fine butt, which she couldn’t help noticing as he bent to place their bowls in the dishwasher.

Scott glanced over his shoulder. “Did you say something?”

Oh, she hoped not. She swiftly raised her gaze, praying her cheeks didn’t look as pink as they felt. “No.”

Jeffrey finished his cookies, then looked expectantly at Scott, who was preparing a pot of coffee. “What are we going to do now?”

“Still wanting to be entertained? I suppose I could do a song and dance for you. Maybe a scene from Pirates of Penzance. No? How about a monologue? Hamlet? Richard III?”

“Now that sounds like something I would like to see,” Blair murmured.

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. “What are we really going to do?”

“We could turn in for a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh, man. It’s only seven-thirty,” the boy protested. “I never have to go to bed before nine o’clock.”

“Remember when a few extra hours of sleep seemed more like a trial than a luxury?” Scott asked Blair wryly, then turned to Jeffrey before she could answer. “How about a board game? I have several here to choose from.”

“Okay. But pick something I have a chance to win. Not Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit where I don’t know as much as you guys.”

“No sweat,” Scott assured him. “I don’t play games that require actual thinking. Pure luck, that’s what I depend on.”

Jeffrey seemed to approve of that philosophy. “Okay. What’ve you got?”

Blair couldn’t help but be surprised that Jeffrey seemed interested in the game Scott extracted from a cabinet and set out on the table. She and her aunt had tried a few times to interest the boy in playing board games with them, but he’d always declined their offers, choosing instead to play video games by himself. He was definitely responding to Scott. Was it because he’d been so hungry for a man’s attention or because of Scott’s appealing personality?

The game was fast-paced, the outcome determined more by chance than skill. Jeffrey held his own, playing with an intense concentration that made Blair wonder if he was actually having fun. “Your turn, Aunt Blair.”

She obligingly rolled the dice and moved her bright orange playing piece the required number of spaces. She landed on the square where Jeffrey’s blue piece had been sitting. “Oops. Looks like you have to go back to start, Jeffrey.”

“No fair!” he exclaimed, scowling. “Why didn’t you move one of your other pieces? Why’d you have to send me back?”

“That’s the way the game is played, Jeff,” Scott interceded. “You don’t want your aunt to treat you like a baby and let you win, do you?”

Jeffrey was obviously torn between not wanting to be treated like a baby and wanting to win at any cost. He poked his lip out, trying to decide what to say or do.

Scott helped him out. “Roll the dice. Pay her back.”

Choosing to keep playing rather than bring the game to an end with one of his tantrums, Jeffrey reached for the dice. Scott sent Blair a quick smile, and the game went on. And, deep inside Blair, hope continued to grow that Scott would find a way to break through Jeffrey’s anger.

CHAPTER FIVE

JEFFREY WAS PUTTING the game away when he discovered a large, leather-bound scrapbook stashed in a cupboard beneath the bookshelves. “What’s this, Scott?”

Scott shrugged. “Just some of my mementos.”

“Can I look at it?”

“If you want.”