I Gave You My Heart, but You Sold It Online Read online

  Debbie Sue gave him the squint eye. “So you’re saying that any good, paying customer the Domestic Equalizers gets you have to like first?”

  “You know that’s not what I’m saying. I have good reason not to want Quint around. Trouble follows him everywhere he goes. I don’t want you getting caught in the middle of it.”

  “I’m flattered you’re jealous, Buddy, but—”

  “How would you feel if Kathy called me up out of the blue and asked me to help her? How would that set with you?”

  While she and Buddy had been divorced he had been seriously involved with a schoolteacher from Odessa, a fact that still irked. Debbie Sue had an old score to settle with Kathy Boczkowski and would love nothing better than a chance to scratch her eyes out. That aside, Buddy’s argument made sense, but Debbie Sue couldn’t relent too easily. “That’s different,” she said.

  “Why is it different?” Buddy made a quick lunge, grabbed her around the knees, and hauled her over his shoulder. Her long hair cascaded down his back.

  “Stop,” she said, squirming to free herself. “Put me down. Where are you taking me?”

  He trekked toward the bathroom. “Why is it different?” he asked again.

  “Because you’re civilized. With Quint, you’d conduct yourself like a decent human being. I, on the other hand, would snatch Kathy’s fucking head bald and paint it like an Easter egg. Where are you taking me?”

  They arrived in the bathroom and Buddy turned on the shower. He let go of a deep laugh. “I’m gonna wash your mouth out with soap. And I’m not gonna stop there.”

  He placed her inside the shower and stepped in after her. Debbie Sue wrapped her arms around him and spoke into his chest. “I love you, Buddy. I’ll always love you and nothing, nothing can ever change that.”

  Buddy tilted her chin up and looked down into her eyes. She could see how much he loved her, and just knowing that a man as honest and good as Buddy had such feeling for her made her heart swell.

  “Okay,” he said. “Do what you think you have to, Flash. Just promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t get into something over your head and don’t give that bastard a chance to get you alone. Keep Edwina with you when you’re in his company.”

  Debbie Sue giggled. “You say that like it’s an option. I promise I’ll be careful, and if it’ll make you feel better, for Quint, I’ll up our standard fee.”

  “That’ll work,” Buddy said, and began to wash her between her thighs.

  Later, after Buddy left the bathroom, Debbie Sue stood in front of the vanity mirror drying her hair. Telling Buddy hadn’t been as bad as she had thought. So why did she still feel uneasy? The answer was simple. Buddy was right. Trouble and Quint were tied together like twisted vines and already she could feel the tendrils of a per sis tent invisible runner crawling up her leg.

  six

  Was the woman baking those damn cookies?

  Quint could hear a whispery conversation coming from the kitchen. At least she was still in the house and hadn’t slipped out a back door. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that little time had passed since he arrived. So why did he feel as if he had been sitting here an hour?

  Allison stumped him. She was either very good at playing games or just flat-out not impressed with Quint Matthews. There had been a few times when a gal hadn’t been taken with him and all he had to offer. That hadn’t bothered him in the past because, usually, he wasn’t interested either. One disinterest canceled out the other.

  This time was different. This time, he was interested. He didn’t know if the challenge of her not being overwhelmed by his presence struck a competitive chord or if he was just tired of being alone. Though in many ways his life had been richer than most men’s dreams, it had been poor in substance and he knew that. For a while now he had been feeling a need to seek out something meaningful with a nice woman like Allison Barker appeared to be.

  Then again, maybe he was just horny.

  Well, the reason didn’t matter. The evening’s outcome was what he would concentrate on. If he knew anything from experience, he knew how the evening would end. So, dammit, he would sit here and wait for those damn cookies. And hope they didn’t have nuts.

  As if she had been waiting in the wings for a cue, Allison reappeared, empty-handed. “I’m awfully sorry,” she said. “I thought I had cookies, but I was wrong.”

  Quint stood up and showered her with his best dazzling smile. “That’s okay. We’re going out to eat, aren’t we? Why spoil dinner?”

  There it was again. That befuddled expression on her face. Maybe she had a memory problem. Maybe she was just so busy with being a single mom, running her own business, and trying to get from day to day she had forgotten the plans they had made.

  Or, wait a minute. Maybe she was e-mailing so many other men she had gotten her facts and dates mixed up.

  Competition. The very thought made him stand a little taller. If there was anything into which he could sink his teeth, it was competition. In his opinion, a more potent driving force didn’t exist in man or animal. Viagra might jump-start the sexual juices, but there was no drug in existence that could instill the desire to win. He could almost taste the adrenaline coursing through his system. “Now don’t be telling me you can’t make it, darlin’. I drove all this way to take the prettiest gal in Texas out to dinner. You wouldn’t disappoint me, would you?”

  She bit down on her lower lip. He took this as a good sign. At least she was thinking about it.

  “Look,” she said. “You wouldn’t be too disappointed if we just stayed here and visited a little more, would you?”

  “You mean, like talk?”

  She laughed, a warm and sincere laugh.

  Damn, she had a pretty smile, though she didn’t look much like the picture she had posted online. Of course, he had always known the picture wasn’t current. She said she was thirty-one and the picture was of a teenage kid. A woman’s age didn’t matter anyway. Women were women. He liked them all.

  “Why, yes, talk,” she said. “We could get to know each other better.”

  He was getting hungry and he had been visiting with her for a month now. What the hell else did she need to know? “Get to know each other better?” he repeated.

  “Exactly. I’m not in the habit of leaving the house with a man I don’t know. I just wouldn’t be comfortable.”

  He sighed mentally, but he wasn’t ready to yield. “But you’ve known me for a month.”

  “Talking online isn’t the same thing as meeting in person. Let’s just visit a little longer. Perhaps we could go out to dinner another night.”

  “Tell you what. I’ve got a friend in this town who can vouch for me. Debbie Sue Pr—Overstreet. Know her?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  He plucked his phone from his belt and began to scroll through his phone index for Debbie Sue’s number. “I’ll give her a call. She can tell you I’m okay.”

  A knowing expression came into her eyes. “That isn’t necessary. I see Debbie Sue and Edwina often. If she thinks you’re okay, that’s good enough for me. But I thought you had business in Salt Lick.”

  “I do, but it can wait. I decided it was time I met you, and I’m glad I did. I’d be honored for you and Jill to join me to night for dinner. I want you to meet one of my old friends.”

  “You want Jill to come, too? That’s wonderful.”

  Quint knew the tried-and-true trail to a single mother’s heart was through her kid. Inviting Jill hadn’t been planned, but he had yet to meet the woman who didn’t love having her little darling noticed and even invited. It made major points, though he also believed that most of the time, women didn’t really want to drag along their offspring.

  He waited for her answer. The ball was in her court. Since she seemed to be floundering, he decided to put some topspin on the delivery. “I have a confession. Jill’s responsible for bringing us together.”

  “Oh? I mean, uh, well…uh—”

  “On
ce I found out you had a child, I was immediately interested in you. I love kids and I can’t think of a harder job than raising one alone. I admire women who do it, especially when there are other options nowadays. It takes strength of character to shoulder that much responsibility.”

  Her sigh was nearly audible. “Ohhh! That’s so sweet of you. It can be hard sometimes. You know, I’m sure Jill would enjoy going to dinner, but she’s spending the night with her best friend. In fact, she just went out the back door to her house. She lives only a couple of doors down.”

  “Maybe another time, then,” Quint said. “I can count on you, though, can’t I? I won’t keep you out too late.”

  “What else can I say? I’d love to. Am I dressed all right?”

  “You’re dressed just fine. You might want to take a jacket. It’s a little cool outside.”

  “Excuse me while I get one.”

  As Allison made an exit from the living room, Quint couldn’t hold back a grin. Piece of cake. He clapped his hat back on his head and waited for her return.

  Maybe this whole mess would turn out all right, Allison thought, pulling her Santa Fe jacket from the closet. She had to admit Quint’s manners were impeccable. His looks were nothing to complain about either, and perhaps most important, he liked Jill. That alone made him worth getting to know. She had gone out with men who barely acknowledged Jill’s presence in the room, much less her existence in Allison’s life. She shrugged into the jacket and cleared her hair from the collar. So, yes, she would go to dinner with this stranger and keep two things open—her mind and her eyes. But her heart was still off-limits.

  She glanced in the mirror one more time. The jacket’s red-and-yellow blanket design coordinated nicely with her navy-blue skirt. She checked the battery on her cell phone, picked up her purse, and returned to the living room.

  “Let me leave Jill a note.” She walked over to the stack of computer printouts she had been studying earlier, tore a sheet of paper from its spiral rings, and scribbled a note. She signed it Miss Texas. As she drew a tiny heart over the letter I in Miss, her daughter’s imagination brought a smile to her face. Good grief, Jill, Miss Texas?…

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she said to her escort. “Do you have a restaurant in mind or would you like me to suggest one?”

  “Actually, I have a friend of more years than I want to confess who’s just opened his own place in Midland. You ever hear of Tag Freeman?”

  “Why, yes. Tag Freeman’s Double-Kicker Barbecue and Beer. My mom and her friend eat there a lot. They keep fussing at me to try it, but I haven’t had the time.”

  “It’s settled, then. To night we’re making the time.”

  “Great,” she said.

  Outside, Allison eyed Quint’s bright red pickup with apprehension. Not even a running jump would enable her to hoist herself into the cab. “Oh, my goodness. It certainly is…well, tall, isn’t it?”

  His deep laugh came from behind her. “It’s a King Ranch edition,” he said, as if that explained everything. “Skinny skirts and tight jeans can make getting into it a challenge. Let me help.”

  Before she could protest, he gripped her waist and lifted her into the passenger side of the cab. For the briefest moment her face was an eyelash length from his and all she could see were his lips. And all she could smell was something sexy and alluring. A thought flitted through her head. Besides being masculine and muscular and smelling like the most expensive cologne at a perfume counter, this man was good-looking and available. And he was rich. She might have already decided to keep her mind open, but she had to remind herself to keep her thighs closed.

  Nestling into the buttery leather seat, she watched as he rounded the front of the truck and climbed behind the steering wheel. She hadn’t made much of an effort to impress him, had made little attempt at conversation, and had not used the ability to charm that many told her she possessed. She couldn’t let go of the notion she had held for years, the notion that men were rats. Too many of the males in her life had been of less than exemplary character. Even her dad had been distant and cold. He had worked hard, provided for the family, and left child rearing to his wife.

  Forget all that baggage, she told herself, looking at Quint’s profile as he backed out of the driveway. To night her mother was out of town and Jill was tucked safely away at her neighbor’s house. To night was going to be about her, Allison Barker. Not the dress shop, not her mom’s financial future, not even Jill. Tonight, she, Allison Barker, intended to relax and have fun. She had a driving urge to lower her window and present her arm in a stiff wave befitting a queen. A wave befitting Miss Texas.

  As they motored toward Midland, Allison thought of what she had read in Cosmopolitan about making a man interested on the first date. She had read the articles, had even passed the test at the end. Rule number one: Be a good listener. A man loves when a woman urges him to talk about himself. She was trying to do that very thing, but all Quint wanted to do was ask questions about her—her life, her upbringing, everything related to her.

  This was particularly nerve-racking because Jill had already supplied so many details, most of which Allison didn’t know. Oh, well, if she stumbled, she would deal with it, and if necessary, she would simply tell him the truth. She never had liked charades.

  “So,” Quint said, “you’re from Haskell?”

  “Yes. Everyone has to be from somewhere.”

  “You said the doctor in your hometown gave you a job when you were only eighteen? And pregnant? Pretty nice of him to do that.”

  Mental gasp. Jill, my darling daughter, I will absolutely strangle you when I get home.

  Allison didn’t talk about her unplanned teenage pregnancy. The decision to become an unwed mother might have been hers, but that didn’t mean it was her choice. A cottage with the white picket fence, a dog sleeping on the front porch, and a minivan in the driveway were what she had imagined. When reality fell short, she had learned to deal with it.

  In fact, “deal with it” had become her mantra. When her friends left for college, leaving her, the valedictorian, behind, she had dealt with it. When Mom had inherited from her older sister a dress shop called Almost the Rage in an outpost named Salt Lick, Mom had moved from Haskell to start her life anew. Allison had dealt with it. Several times a year, she had dutifully driven from Haskell to Salt Lick so that, at the very least, Jill would know the only grandparent who acknowledged her existence. Years later when Mom called, crying and despondent over the dress shop’s imminent failure, Allison had packed everything she and Jill owned, and moved west to deal with it.

  “I know. I was very lucky.”

  Apparently Quint wasn’t ready to put the subject to rest. “Jill’s father helped you, right?”

  No one ever so openly asked about her past. She considered a lie, but then thought better of it. After all, she wasn’t responsible for Jill’s father’s reputation. “He went to prison shortly before Jill was born.”

  Quint’s gaze jerked in her direction. “No sh—I mean, really? What’d he do?”

  The only answer she could give Quint, or anyone, was none at all. How could she defend someone whose answer for quick wealth was to counterfeit money in seventy-five-dollar bills? The U.S. government had never seen fit to print bills in that denomination, so why did John Billy Anderson think he could? Seconds ticked off while she silently watched the fence posts fly past.

  “It must have been something pretty bad,” Quint said. “Did he kill somebody? Plot a terrorist attack? He was just a kid, too, wasn’t he?”

  Allison swallowed hard, her mind racing. Finally, a deep sigh left her lips. She supposed she had to tell him something. “He had just turned nineteen. What he did was so stupid I’m embarrassed for him. Could we change the subject?” She turned her attention to Quint. “Do you know Tag Freeman from the rodeo? Was he a bull rider, too?”

  “You don’t follow rodeo?”

  “I used to when I was younger, but I haven’t been to one in
years.”

  “Tag wasn’t a bull rider. He was a bull fighter. The best in the business. He’s saved more cowboys than Alcoholics Anonymous. Stepped in front of a roarin’ tornado more than once for me. I flat-out might not be here today if it wasn’t for him. Now he’s an investor in some of my bulls.”

  “How can you be an investor in something that doesn’t cost any more than a bull?”

  “Darlin’, a good bucking bull is worth more than a hundred thousand dollars. A breeding cow that throws a tough animal can be worth five or ten thousand.”

  “My goodness, I didn’t know rodeo animals cost so much money.”

  “Rodeo’s become big business. I’ve got all kinds of rodeo stock, but my specialty is bulls. The bigger and badder, the better. That’s my motto. I’ve got plenty of good cows, but the high-powered bulls are scattered all over the country. I rely on Tag for some consulting work.”

  “Consulting?”

  “I can’t be everywhere at once, so he does some of the traveling. We might have to collect ejaculate from a superbull in Nebraska to be implanted into one of my high-strung cows in Texas.”

  “And that’s called consulting?”

  “Well, yeah. Sorta. We can’t always get a bull and a cow together in the flesh when the cow’s ready, if you know what I mean. Did you forget I’m a stock contractor?”

  If only. She couldn’t think why she had asked the question or gotten into this discussion. The last conversation she wanted to have with a perfect stranger was one about animals breeding. “I wish I had,” she muttered.

  “What was that again?”

  “I, uh, guess I did.”

  Allison made a mental note to remember this moment when Jill was grown. She wouldn’t retaliate against a child, but she couldn’t wait to become her daughter’s burdensome elderly mother.

  “Here we are,” Quint announced, and let out a low whistle. “Man, he told me it was easy to spot and he wasn’t kidding.”