He shrugged. “The boy is the least of my problems. It was worth a shot. If it doesn’t work out, he’s out of here. His father’s responsibility.”
“I’m surprised his dad hasn’t visited.”
“He will, eventually. Probably this weekend. It was agreed, by everyone, that he had to step out of the picture for a while.”
“He seemed like such a good kid the first time I met him.”
“He is a good kid. Just a little mixed up. Give him a chance.”
“Oh, I will. In fact, I have some ideas how I might help him redirect some of his anger.”
Rusty turned around and began scrubbing the pots and pans with a steel wool pad. “So, why does a born-again virgin need birth control pills?” he asked all of a sudden.
“I beg your pardon.” She glowered at him. “Have you been spying on me?”
“Hard not to notice when your stuff is spread all over the place. I was looking for aspirin.”
“Likely story. I take birth control pills just in case.”
“Just in case?” He smiled and her heart flipped over. God must have been playing a joke on womankind when He gave Rusty a smile like that. “Just in case what?”
“I get tempted.” And that is the God’s honest truth.
“By me?” He smiled even wider.
The too-perceptive lout! “No. By some drop-dead-gorgeous hunk who drops by one day to deliver fertilizer, or a door-to-door salesman with a pitch to die for, or the butcher at the supermarket whose meat turns out to be extra tempting.” Or a Cajun cowboy with a grin and wink that would melt the most fervent vows.
“You’re afraid of being tempted by me,” he insisted.
Bingo! “Am not.”
He looked pointedly at her nipples, which were pointing.
Sometimes women are just as bad as men when it comes to body parts giving them away. “Stop that. Stop it right now.” She wasn’t sure if she was speaking to Rusty or her nipples. Neither of them paid any attention to her orders.
“Stop what?”
Like you don’t know! “Smoldering.”
His head jerked up with surprise. “Was I smoldering?”
Like the coals in a pig roast pit.
“Clarence says I should smolder more,” he said.
Uh, I don’t think so.
“I didn’t even know I could smolder. Who knew?” He appeared really pleased with himself, that he could smolder.
“Clarence? Don’t tell me. He’s giving you more romance advice.” I could use a little romance advice. Like, how to withstand a smoldering cowboy.
“Yep. Bowlegging you and smoldering you. Surefire winners in his seduction book.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
She laughed and shook her head from side to side. “We are a sad pair, us two. The Lady on the Lam and The Smoldering Cowboy.”
“Yep,” he said again, still idly scrubbing away at the pots and pans and the baking dish.
“Rusty, we have got to clear the air about something.”
“Uh-oh.”
“You really, really tempt me, but—”
“—but we are not going to make love,” he finished for her with an exaggerated sigh.
“Exactly.” Unfortunately.
“I tempt you?” he asked, homing in on the least relevant thing she’d said. Well, it was relevant, but only to the no-sex conclusion.
“Tsk-tsk!” She figured that was answer enough.
“Why? I mean, why the no-sex rule?”
Setting her dish towel down, she gave him her full attention. “I know you think my born-again virgin vow is a hoot, just a lot of nonsense. It is funny, considering my history, I admit that, but it’s significant to me.”
“Hell, it’s significant to me, too.” He winked at her.
“Listen, I’m serious here. I’m not good at relationships. Whether they were valid or not, I’ve been married four times, and all four of them failed for one reason or another. And I’ve been involved with a few other men, and those didn’t last either.”
“A few?”
“A few.”
“Charmaine, you and I have the hots for each other. We always did, probably always will. Why do you have to analyze things to death? You’ll be here a few weeks. What’s wrong with enjoying each other while you’re here?”
“And then?” Her blood suddenly turned cold.