I saw with you and Shirlene at the diner.”
Releasing her breath in one drawn-out sigh of frustration, Hope turned back to the car. Sure enough, the steam had evaporated enough to see Colt sitting there, as clear as day. He stared back at her with one dark eyebrow hiked up along with a corner of his sexy mouth. Wasn’t the man even smart enough to duck?
“Well, good mornin’,” he drawled as he stepped from the car and squatted down to scratch a wiggling Buster. “Nothin’ like a little rain shower to liven things up.”
Faith might be a little princess, but she was no dummy. Her gaze swept over Colt’s rain-soaked body, then back to Hope, then over to the car, and then back to Hope. And just that quickly, the sun rose in those wide blue eyes along with the biggest, most disgusting smile Hope had ever seen in her life.
“Well, good morning, yourself.” If people could pop from happiness, Faith was about to bust like an over-inflated balloon. “So what brings you here, Mr. Lomax?”
“Kindness and charity, Mrs. Calhoun,” Colt said with a smile almost as big. “I’m helping Hope deliver food boxes.”
Faith looked back at her. “How sweet.”
Hope’s desire to pick up the rusted crowbar at her feet and use it to wipe off both white-toothed smiles was almost too much to bear, especially when Colt continued to enjoy himself at her expense.
“That’s a mighty pretty dress you got on, Mrs. Calhoun.”
Since it was almost an exact duplicate of Hope’s—minus the mud—she threw him a glare as Faith blushed and held out the soft fabric.
“Why, thank you, but please call me Faith.”
Yes, please.
Colt shook his head. “Well, I’d love to, but my mama would have my hide if I showed such disrespect to such a fine married lady.”
Hope wanted to show them both disrespect and leave their butts in the dust of Shirlene’s Navigator. Unfortunately, the keys were in the pocket of Colt’s wet jeans. Besides, before she left, Hope had to convince her sister that she had no reason to be grinning like a Disney princess after all the wicked stepmothers had been banished to another kingdom.
“I sure hope you weren’t delivering boxes in that thing,” Faith said with just a tad bit too much innocence.
“No, ma’am.” Colt leaned an arm on the roof of the Chevy. “Even I couldn’t get this thing to run.”
She nodded, and Hope wondered if maybe she would leave it at that. But she should’ve known better.
“So if it doesn’t run, what were you doing?”
Hope opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Damn! Where was a brain when you needed it.
“We were just reliving old times,” Colt helped her out. “I used to live here, and Hope lived next door.”
Faith’s eyes widened, and she turned to Hope. “I didn’t realize this was where you and Shirlene grew up. You lived in Bubba’s trailer?”
Colt’s gaze snapped over to Hope’s, and she explained to both of them. “Some guy named Bubba Wilkes bought it off Daddy for a hunting lodge, and now my sister and Slate are living in it while Slate builds his house.”
Colt smiled and turned to Faith. “So welcome to the world of trailer trash, Mrs. Calhoun.”
Faith didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the negative connotation. “Thank you. I have to say, it was a little overwhelming at first, but now I love my little trailer. I’ll be sad when we move out this Saturday.”
“Slate’s new house is finished?” Hope asked, suddenly consumed with resentment.
“Everyone in town chipped in to help.” Faith’s eyes twinkled with happiness. “It’s been like a dream come true.”
Yeah, my dream,
Hope thought.
Faith nodded back in the direction of Bubba’s trailer. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll make you some tea.” She glanced back at the car. “That’s if you’re finished… talking.”
“No,” Hope said.
Colt’s eyebrows lifted. “We’re not done… talkin’, honey?”
Hope’s eyes narrowed as
Releasing her breath in one drawn-out sigh of frustration, Hope turned back to the car. Sure enough, the steam had evaporated enough to see Colt sitting there, as clear as day. He stared back at her with one dark eyebrow hiked up along with a corner of his sexy mouth. Wasn’t the man even smart enough to duck?
“Well, good mornin’,” he drawled as he stepped from the car and squatted down to scratch a wiggling Buster. “Nothin’ like a little rain shower to liven things up.”
Faith might be a little princess, but she was no dummy. Her gaze swept over Colt’s rain-soaked body, then back to Hope, then over to the car, and then back to Hope. And just that quickly, the sun rose in those wide blue eyes along with the biggest, most disgusting smile Hope had ever seen in her life.
“Well, good morning, yourself.” If people could pop from happiness, Faith was about to bust like an over-inflated balloon. “So what brings you here, Mr. Lomax?”
“Kindness and charity, Mrs. Calhoun,” Colt said with a smile almost as big. “I’m helping Hope deliver food boxes.”
Faith looked back at her. “How sweet.”
Hope’s desire to pick up the rusted crowbar at her feet and use it to wipe off both white-toothed smiles was almost too much to bear, especially when Colt continued to enjoy himself at her expense.
“That’s a mighty pretty dress you got on, Mrs. Calhoun.”
Since it was almost an exact duplicate of Hope’s—minus the mud—she threw him a glare as Faith blushed and held out the soft fabric.
“Why, thank you, but please call me Faith.”
Yes, please.
Colt shook his head. “Well, I’d love to, but my mama would have my hide if I showed such disrespect to such a fine married lady.”
Hope wanted to show them both disrespect and leave their butts in the dust of Shirlene’s Navigator. Unfortunately, the keys were in the pocket of Colt’s wet jeans. Besides, before she left, Hope had to convince her sister that she had no reason to be grinning like a Disney princess after all the wicked stepmothers had been banished to another kingdom.
“I sure hope you weren’t delivering boxes in that thing,” Faith said with just a tad bit too much innocence.
“No, ma’am.” Colt leaned an arm on the roof of the Chevy. “Even I couldn’t get this thing to run.”
She nodded, and Hope wondered if maybe she would leave it at that. But she should’ve known better.
“So if it doesn’t run, what were you doing?”
Hope opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Damn! Where was a brain when you needed it.
“We were just reliving old times,” Colt helped her out. “I used to live here, and Hope lived next door.”
Faith’s eyes widened, and she turned to Hope. “I didn’t realize this was where you and Shirlene grew up. You lived in Bubba’s trailer?”
Colt’s gaze snapped over to Hope’s, and she explained to both of them. “Some guy named Bubba Wilkes bought it off Daddy for a hunting lodge, and now my sister and Slate are living in it while Slate builds his house.”
Colt smiled and turned to Faith. “So welcome to the world of trailer trash, Mrs. Calhoun.”
Faith didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the negative connotation. “Thank you. I have to say, it was a little overwhelming at first, but now I love my little trailer. I’ll be sad when we move out this Saturday.”
“Slate’s new house is finished?” Hope asked, suddenly consumed with resentment.
“Everyone in town chipped in to help.” Faith’s eyes twinkled with happiness. “It’s been like a dream come true.”
Yeah, my dream,
Hope thought.
Faith nodded back in the direction of Bubba’s trailer. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll make you some tea.” She glanced back at the car. “That’s if you’re finished… talking.”
“No,” Hope said.
Colt’s eyebrows lifted. “We’re not done… talkin’, honey?”
Hope’s eyes narrowed as
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