Courage (Heroes of Big Sky 1)

“No kidding. I’m gonna buy more.”

I turn and look at her. She’s in black leggings that mold to the curves of her thighs and ass and a baggy sweatshirt.

Tash is tall, not much shorter than my six feet. With that slender, willowy body and curves in all the right places, she’s sexy as hell.

And as I watch, the neck of her sweatshirt falls over her shoulder.

No bra strap.

Jesus.

I could just push my hand under the hemline and feel her bare skin.

She raises her face, and her dark eyes find mine.

“You okay?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat and get back to the task at hand. Once the dishes are all put away, I load the dishwasher with the dirty ones in the sink, start it, and then wipe down the counters.

“Thanks.” She yawns widely. “Wanna sit and chat for a while, or are you ready to head home? I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I can stay for a few.”

I toss the towel onto the counter and follow her into the living room. She sits in the corner of the couch, and I take the opposite side.

“Thanks for staying all day,” she says. “You didn’t have to.”

“No biggie. I called the chief and asked him to take me off the board for the day.”

Her eyes go wide. “Wait. You took the day off? Shit, Sam, I’m sorry. I need to write down your schedule so I don’t bother you on your working days.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m happy to help, you know that.”

She shakes her head and then sighs. “You know, some days I think I have this all under control. On the days when the kids are happy, and I’m caught up on laundry and get no calls from the school. They’re few but coming more often than they did in the beginning—which I think is a good sign.”

“Definitely a good sign.”

“And then days like today just sneak up on me and slap me across the face as if God is saying, ‘Ha! You thought you could do this? Think again, sweetheart.’”

“What are you talking about? You did great today. You got hurt, you called me, we executed a plan. It all came together.”

“But you had to take off of work.”

“And if that had been an issue, I would have said something. Tash, I’m not here because I feel sorry for you or something. The kids are my responsibility, too, you know.”

“But I’m not.”

“Aren’t you?”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. She narrows her gorgeous dark eyes, and that sass she’s always been known for comes to the surface.

I much prefer the sass to the sadness.

“I don’t need you to save me, Sam Waters.”

“No, ma’am.” I chuckle and shake my head. “Absolutely, not. But I can be here because I want to be, can’t I? If not, just tell me to get lost. It’ll wound my ego, but I’ll survive.”

“You can be here anytime you want,” she says with a laugh. “I just don’t want you to feel obligated. I know we’re co-parenting the twins. And that’s awesome because I couldn’t do it by myself.”

“You could. But you don’t have to.”

She licks her lips. “Do you remember that one time when I was twenty and supposed to go out with Monica, but when I got to the house, she had already left for a date with Rich? There was a lot of miscommunication, and you were there for something. I forget what.”

“I was fixing my parents’ sink,” I reply, remembering that night vividly. “And you were so disappointed that Monica had left, so we hung out.”

“And you kissed me.”

Hell, yes, I’d kissed her. She was so sweet and pretty.

“And you put on the brakes. Said Monica would kill you. And I came to my senses because you’re almost ten years younger than me.”

She nods, remembering that night.

“I had such a horrible, painful crush on you,” she admits softly.

I knew. Of course, I knew. From the time she was in middle school, Tash watched me with lovesick eyes.

“But then we grew up,” I add. “And you started dating Jeff Slimeball.”

“Jeff Simpson,” she says with a laugh. “He wasn’t a slimeball. A little weird, maybe. He moved to Seattle. Last I heard, he and his husband are quite happy together.”

“Good for him.” I lean closer to her. “You have a little something right here.”

I brush the tip of my finger over the corner of her mouth. Of course, I lied. There’s nothing there.

But I want to touch her so badly I ache with it.

“What was it?” she asks quietly.

“Nothing.” Her eyes narrow, but I only chuckle. “Your skin is so soft.”

“That’s what you said when I was twenty.”

I swallow and watch her lips move. “I want to be clear here, Tash. I’m attracted to you, though not because of the situation we’re currently in. I want to set that straight right now.”