grinned at Linda, and she ducked her head, taking a sudden interest in her boots.
“Where’s Cougar?” he asked.
I avoided his eyes by pretending to dust snow off my jacket. “He’ll be around in a minute.” Glancing at Abby, I said, “You ready to go, kiddo?”
She kicked at the snow in front of her. “Aww, do we have to?”
“Yes, ma’am. You have to take a bath and get in bed.”
She sighed and used Tucker’s leg to push herself to her feet. “Bye, guys.”
“Bye, sweetie,” Linda said.
Tucker stood and ruffled Abby’s hair. “Make your mom bring you back to play again.”
Abby took my hand, and we walked toward the car.
“Hey, you guys leaving?”
I turned toward the sound of Cougar’s voice. His face was half-hidden in the shadows as he leaned against the brick building.
“Yeah.” I plucked a strand of damp hair off my cheek. “Abby has school tomorrow. But thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome. I guess I should be getting to the hospital anyway. Talk to you tomorrow. And see you later, brat.”
Abby waved, and I hurried her along to the car.
She fell asleep in no time. I sighed, thinking of how grouchy she’d be when I woke her to give her a bath.
A few minutes later, I pulled into the garage and went around to get her out. A light winked on, and Grady opened the back door. I didn’t know what to expect when he started toward us.
“Here.” He took her from my arms. “I’ve got her.”
He carried her up the steps. I took it as a good signwhen he didn’t stagger. Maybe there was hope for a calm discussion yet. I didn’t smell liquor on him.
“Hey, baby,” he said, when she stirred in his arms. “You’re wet.” He glanced at me. “You’re wet, too. Where have you been, besides Fat Daddy’s?”
I was about to ask him how he knew that when I realized I was still wearing the pink lei.
Abby blinked up at him and yawned. “We had a snowball fight, Daddy. It was so cool. Cougar hit me, but I got him back.”
Grady looked at me again with narrowed eyes. “Cougar? You’ve been with Cougar?”
I shrugged off my coat. “I had to go by the office. We ran into him.”
“We beat Mama playing foosball,” Abby said, and I did a mental wince.
Grady stood Abby on the kitchen floor. The muscle in his jaw twitched, and his hands balled into fists at his side. “So you had dinner with him, too?”
“Don’t even start,” I said, and patted Abby’s behind. “Get upstairs, honey. Mama will be up in a minute to help you with your bath.”
She nodded and kissed us both before moping up the stairs. I could almost see the tension rolling off Grady’s back before he turned to face me.
“So I read it wrong?” He cocked his head. “It’s not the vegetable, then. All this time, you’ve been sleepingaround with Cougar.”
I threw my keys on the kitchen counter. “Don’t be stupid, and don’t try to make this about me. You’ve got a problem, Grady.”
He laughed. “Damn straight, I’ve got a problem. It’s you. It’s always been you. Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d never met you.”
“Oh, so you wonder that, too,” I said, and shouldered past him. He grabbed my arm and spun me around.
“Don’t walk away from me.” Before I could react, he seized the pink lei around my neck and twisted his fist around it. He steamrolled me backward and slammed me into the wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
CHAPTER
7
I nexplicably, he kissed me, even as he tightened the cord around my throat. His tongue invaded my mouth as I fought for my next breath.
I balled my hand into a fist and swung. The blow landed solid on the side of the head. He staggered, loosening his grip, but he didn’t let go. He pressed his shoulder into me to block my arm. “What’s the matter? Are my kisses not as good as Cougar’s? In what other areas am I lacking?”
Spots danced before my eyes, and self-preservation took over. I rammed my knee as
“Where’s Cougar?” he asked.
I avoided his eyes by pretending to dust snow off my jacket. “He’ll be around in a minute.” Glancing at Abby, I said, “You ready to go, kiddo?”
She kicked at the snow in front of her. “Aww, do we have to?”
“Yes, ma’am. You have to take a bath and get in bed.”
She sighed and used Tucker’s leg to push herself to her feet. “Bye, guys.”
“Bye, sweetie,” Linda said.
Tucker stood and ruffled Abby’s hair. “Make your mom bring you back to play again.”
Abby took my hand, and we walked toward the car.
“Hey, you guys leaving?”
I turned toward the sound of Cougar’s voice. His face was half-hidden in the shadows as he leaned against the brick building.
“Yeah.” I plucked a strand of damp hair off my cheek. “Abby has school tomorrow. But thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome. I guess I should be getting to the hospital anyway. Talk to you tomorrow. And see you later, brat.”
Abby waved, and I hurried her along to the car.
She fell asleep in no time. I sighed, thinking of how grouchy she’d be when I woke her to give her a bath.
A few minutes later, I pulled into the garage and went around to get her out. A light winked on, and Grady opened the back door. I didn’t know what to expect when he started toward us.
“Here.” He took her from my arms. “I’ve got her.”
He carried her up the steps. I took it as a good signwhen he didn’t stagger. Maybe there was hope for a calm discussion yet. I didn’t smell liquor on him.
“Hey, baby,” he said, when she stirred in his arms. “You’re wet.” He glanced at me. “You’re wet, too. Where have you been, besides Fat Daddy’s?”
I was about to ask him how he knew that when I realized I was still wearing the pink lei.
Abby blinked up at him and yawned. “We had a snowball fight, Daddy. It was so cool. Cougar hit me, but I got him back.”
Grady looked at me again with narrowed eyes. “Cougar? You’ve been with Cougar?”
I shrugged off my coat. “I had to go by the office. We ran into him.”
“We beat Mama playing foosball,” Abby said, and I did a mental wince.
Grady stood Abby on the kitchen floor. The muscle in his jaw twitched, and his hands balled into fists at his side. “So you had dinner with him, too?”
“Don’t even start,” I said, and patted Abby’s behind. “Get upstairs, honey. Mama will be up in a minute to help you with your bath.”
She nodded and kissed us both before moping up the stairs. I could almost see the tension rolling off Grady’s back before he turned to face me.
“So I read it wrong?” He cocked his head. “It’s not the vegetable, then. All this time, you’ve been sleepingaround with Cougar.”
I threw my keys on the kitchen counter. “Don’t be stupid, and don’t try to make this about me. You’ve got a problem, Grady.”
He laughed. “Damn straight, I’ve got a problem. It’s you. It’s always been you. Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d never met you.”
“Oh, so you wonder that, too,” I said, and shouldered past him. He grabbed my arm and spun me around.
“Don’t walk away from me.” Before I could react, he seized the pink lei around my neck and twisted his fist around it. He steamrolled me backward and slammed me into the wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
CHAPTER
7
I nexplicably, he kissed me, even as he tightened the cord around my throat. His tongue invaded my mouth as I fought for my next breath.
I balled my hand into a fist and swung. The blow landed solid on the side of the head. He staggered, loosening his grip, but he didn’t let go. He pressed his shoulder into me to block my arm. “What’s the matter? Are my kisses not as good as Cougar’s? In what other areas am I lacking?”
Spots danced before my eyes, and self-preservation took over. I rammed my knee as
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