training, to the day he died, poured from her lips. Kale never said a word the whole time she talked. How he knew she needed to talk about it, she didn’t know, but she thanked her lucky stars for this proud, gorgeous cowboy with his soft side.
What will I do when it’s over and I go back to Los Angeles?
Chapter Six
Kale wiped at the remaining tears on Laurel’s face with his thumb, then tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear while she gave him a watery chuckle.
“ Better?”
A quick nod gave him his answer. “I’m sorry. I’ve known you a matter of days and here I am blubbering all over your shirt, asking you to watch my three-year-old daughter—”
“ Hey, it’s what friends are for, right? Besides, my shirt needed to be laundered anyway.”
The chuckle spilling from her lips sounded like a choked sob.
“ You didn’t bring me in here and worked half my clothes off so I could cry all over you.”
“ Not exactly, no. I would rather be buried deep inside you right now, but I got the feeling you never took the time to grieve for him. You loved him, right?”
“ Yes, I loved him and no, I didn’t grieve for him. After I found out about his wife at the funeral, I couldn’t do anything but bury my feelings—bury everything. Then when I found out about Kimmy, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“ What about your parents?”
“ They turned their back on me. Having a child out of wedlock was bad enough, but finding out the child I carried belonged to a married man…well let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant.”
“ Your parents are very old-fashioned, I assume.”
“ Very. My father is a minister. Good God, if he and my mother found out you and I had sex and barely knew each other?” An exaggerated shutter ran through her body.
“ I tell you what. Why don’t we put this round of sex on hold? I don’t think you’re quite up to enjoying it right now and we should probably get out to Nat and Cade’s to pick up Kimmy. Otherwise, they might want to keep her permanently.”
“ She kind of does that to a person,” she said with a sniff, a nod and a slight smile.
“ Those dimples are what do it. I’m telling you, she can wrap anyone and everyone around her little finger with those.”
“ You’re a goner, Kale Dunn. Caught by a blonde three year old.”
He liked her teasing him much better than hers tears. A woman crying about did him in. The heat of a blush crept up his neck and he dropped his gaze to her chest. He wasn’t about to tell her the facts. He wanted more from one saucy red-head than he’d ever wanted from any woman. “We should get going,” he said, standing and adjusting his still rock-hard erection behind his fly. It wouldn’t do to show up at Cade’s sportin’ wood.
“ Yeah, you’re right,” she replied smoothing her hands down the thigh of her jeans.
“ Did you eat?”
A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes and he silently groaned.
“ Food. You know, dinner?”
“ Nope. I came right from the crime scene over here.”
“ Crime scene?”
“ I guess I can tell you a little. It will hit the papers tomorrow, I’m sure and it’ll be big news in a little town like Red Rock. I’ll tell you in the truck on our way over to get Kimmy.”
Several moments later, she sat on the passenger side of his pickup and explained.
“ Kimmy and I were at the park earlier and she ran ahead of me down the back path through the woods that comes out near the parking lot. When I caught up with her, she was standing off the side looking at something.”
“ What was it?”
“ A body.”
“ Like someone sleeping or something?”
“ No, Kale, a dead body. A young woman actually. Kimberly didn’t see the whole thing, thank goodness. She only saw a foot and part of the woman’s leg before I got her out of there and called it in.”
“ Wow. That's weird. Did they tell you I found a woman’s body up on the rise on my property?”
“ No, they didn’t
What will I do when it’s over and I go back to Los Angeles?
Chapter Six
Kale wiped at the remaining tears on Laurel’s face with his thumb, then tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear while she gave him a watery chuckle.
“ Better?”
A quick nod gave him his answer. “I’m sorry. I’ve known you a matter of days and here I am blubbering all over your shirt, asking you to watch my three-year-old daughter—”
“ Hey, it’s what friends are for, right? Besides, my shirt needed to be laundered anyway.”
The chuckle spilling from her lips sounded like a choked sob.
“ You didn’t bring me in here and worked half my clothes off so I could cry all over you.”
“ Not exactly, no. I would rather be buried deep inside you right now, but I got the feeling you never took the time to grieve for him. You loved him, right?”
“ Yes, I loved him and no, I didn’t grieve for him. After I found out about his wife at the funeral, I couldn’t do anything but bury my feelings—bury everything. Then when I found out about Kimmy, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“ What about your parents?”
“ They turned their back on me. Having a child out of wedlock was bad enough, but finding out the child I carried belonged to a married man…well let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant.”
“ Your parents are very old-fashioned, I assume.”
“ Very. My father is a minister. Good God, if he and my mother found out you and I had sex and barely knew each other?” An exaggerated shutter ran through her body.
“ I tell you what. Why don’t we put this round of sex on hold? I don’t think you’re quite up to enjoying it right now and we should probably get out to Nat and Cade’s to pick up Kimmy. Otherwise, they might want to keep her permanently.”
“ She kind of does that to a person,” she said with a sniff, a nod and a slight smile.
“ Those dimples are what do it. I’m telling you, she can wrap anyone and everyone around her little finger with those.”
“ You’re a goner, Kale Dunn. Caught by a blonde three year old.”
He liked her teasing him much better than hers tears. A woman crying about did him in. The heat of a blush crept up his neck and he dropped his gaze to her chest. He wasn’t about to tell her the facts. He wanted more from one saucy red-head than he’d ever wanted from any woman. “We should get going,” he said, standing and adjusting his still rock-hard erection behind his fly. It wouldn’t do to show up at Cade’s sportin’ wood.
“ Yeah, you’re right,” she replied smoothing her hands down the thigh of her jeans.
“ Did you eat?”
A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes and he silently groaned.
“ Food. You know, dinner?”
“ Nope. I came right from the crime scene over here.”
“ Crime scene?”
“ I guess I can tell you a little. It will hit the papers tomorrow, I’m sure and it’ll be big news in a little town like Red Rock. I’ll tell you in the truck on our way over to get Kimmy.”
Several moments later, she sat on the passenger side of his pickup and explained.
“ Kimmy and I were at the park earlier and she ran ahead of me down the back path through the woods that comes out near the parking lot. When I caught up with her, she was standing off the side looking at something.”
“ What was it?”
“ A body.”
“ Like someone sleeping or something?”
“ No, Kale, a dead body. A young woman actually. Kimberly didn’t see the whole thing, thank goodness. She only saw a foot and part of the woman’s leg before I got her out of there and called it in.”
“ Wow. That's weird. Did they tell you I found a woman’s body up on the rise on my property?”
“ No, they didn’t
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