Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

“Um, I don’t have swimsuit.”

“I can find you a T-shirt and shorts. Gonna be a bit big, though.”

He could say that again. He was huge.

“I’ll just dip my feet in.”

“Sure?”

She nodded. Stripping wouldn’t be wise anyway. Not with the fading bruises she was still trying to hide.

“Want a drink?”

“Beer if you have it.”

“You got it, rocket.”

Settling by the edge of the pool, she took off the flip-flops he’d grabbed from the store for her and dipped her bare feet in. She groaned.

“Feel good?” he called out from the porch where he was lighting up the grill. The backyard wasn’t huge but it had a good-sized porch and a small grassy area that was well taken care of.

“Amazing. The boys would love this.”

“Bring them over anytime.”

“You might want to meet them first before you say that. They can be a handful.” She leaned her head back, letting the sun bathe her. Summer heat could be a killer, but she loved that time of night, just before darkness fell. When everything felt like it was slowing down. When she could just sit and be, without any stresses or fear.

She really had no business being there. She couldn’t afford to get involved with anyone. Not when everything was such a mess. But Carrick was so sweet. So caring. So fucking handsome it made her teeth ache.

“How old are they?”

She started, opening her eyes to realize he’d walked closer and was standing over her. He handed her a cold beer and she took it with a grateful smile.

“Oh, uh, Ace is seven and Keir is nine. They’re super smart. But they’re also hellions. Full of energy.”

“And you look after them a lot?” It was a simple question; one anyone would have asked. But she had a feeling Carrick saw more than most.

“Yeah, my mom died several years ago, when Ace was just a baby. I’ve been looking after them ever since.”

“Your dad?”

“Is useless.”

“You must have been just a kid yourself,” he guessed.

“I was nineteen.”

“Most nineteen-year-olds wouldn’t want to look after two kids.”

“It wasn’t Ace and Keir’s fault. They lost their mom too. They had no one but me to look after them.”

He nodded. “Bring them over. Anytime. I mean it.”

And she knew he did. Carrick was something special. The sort of man she’d always hoped to meet but had never dared to dream of. And yet here he was in flesh and blood. So why was she also thinking of another man with cold, caramel-colored eyes and a sharp tongue?

Because you’re screwed up, that’s why. You can like two men. But you can’t have them both.

Dinner was nice. Conversation flowed easily. She’d laughed, she’d eaten good food, and she wished she could do it every night. But all too soon, it seemed, it was over. He drove her back to the garage to pick up her car, crowding her up against the side as she went to say goodbye.