of pounds since she’d last seen him. His eyes—blue like Joe’s and one of his best features—glimmered with flirtation. “What’s shakin’, darlin’?”
“Thought you must be too busy for me today, Butchy,” she said, trying to look interested yet offended, and glad Floyd was in the breakroom, leaving her to behave however she wished without having to lower her voice.
“I thought I was, too. Runnin’ hellaciously late if I want to get any miles behind me tonight. But…”
“But?”
His grin held just a hint of lechery. “But it’s a hot day, and it’s gonna be a long week on the road. Headed all the way to Phoenix, baby. I decided I couldn’t make it without stoppin’ to see you first.” He jerked his head slightly in the direction of the truck lot. “Head outside with me a while?”
She might be better off without it, but her body was glad he’d come back—she needed some release and knew Butch would give it to her. He wasn’t the only one who suffered through hot days and long, lonely nights. Lowering her lashes seductively, she reached up to undo the top button on the front of her striped uniform blouse, opening it just far enough to show some cleavage—a promise. “Let me tell Floyd I’m going on break.”
After finishing lunch in Kenny’s truck, Joe got back in his own and headed home, thinking about returning Trish’s sexy bra. From there, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but he’d figure it out as he went.
Pulling into the driveway, he walked around back. To the right sat a small metal barn he’d erected for the Cobra, with work space for any other projects he wanted to tackle at home now that the car’s restoration was done. To the left stood the same old slanted shed that had always been there, housing the lawn mower and gardening tools. Sunshine, a stray cat who’d stuck around when he’d taken pity and started feeding her about five years back, was about to drop a litter of kittens, and the last time that’d happened, she’d parked them in a hollow spot under one side of the shed. Through Debbie, he’d lucked into a connection with a Brownie troop of little girls who’d all wanted cats. This time, he doubted he’d be so lucky.
His saggy-jowled old dog, Elvis, came ambling around the corner of the house to greet him. His little sister had come up with the name because their mom had loved Elvis and because he wasn’t “nothin’ but a hound dog”—a beagle/basset mix. “Hey, bud,” he said, bending to give the dog an easy scratch behind the ears. “I haven’t seen you since yesterday morning.” He eyed Elvis with suspicion. “You been out puttin’ the moves on that little blond collie over at Mrs. Crowley’s?” Elvis usually stuck close to home, where he led a wild life of naps on the front porch and the occasional stroll around the yard. So when Joe didn’t see him for a day or two, he figured Elvis was out looking for love.
“Guess I’ve been doing the same thing,” he told the dog absently, adding, “sort of. But your girl probably likes you better than mine likes me.”
Scanning the backyard, Joe narrowed in on the shed, moving closer. Sure enough, Sunshine lay stretched out on her side with four kittens busily nursing, so tiny their eyes weren’t yet open. Two were the same yellowy-orange as their mother, one solid black, and the last fluffy and gray. “Looks like you did good, girl.”
After watching them for a minute, he pulled the drooping limbs of a gangly forsythia bush next to the shed over one side of the hollow spot—just to provide a little protection. “But looks like I need to find some more Brownies,” he muttered as he headed in the back door.
No sooner had he shut it behind him than the doorbell rang—and his first thought was Trish. Had she come to apologize? Or at least explain? Despite himself, his heart beat a little faster as he strode through the house to answer.
He opened the door to find—damn, just Jana. Not
“Thought you must be too busy for me today, Butchy,” she said, trying to look interested yet offended, and glad Floyd was in the breakroom, leaving her to behave however she wished without having to lower her voice.
“I thought I was, too. Runnin’ hellaciously late if I want to get any miles behind me tonight. But…”
“But?”
His grin held just a hint of lechery. “But it’s a hot day, and it’s gonna be a long week on the road. Headed all the way to Phoenix, baby. I decided I couldn’t make it without stoppin’ to see you first.” He jerked his head slightly in the direction of the truck lot. “Head outside with me a while?”
She might be better off without it, but her body was glad he’d come back—she needed some release and knew Butch would give it to her. He wasn’t the only one who suffered through hot days and long, lonely nights. Lowering her lashes seductively, she reached up to undo the top button on the front of her striped uniform blouse, opening it just far enough to show some cleavage—a promise. “Let me tell Floyd I’m going on break.”
After finishing lunch in Kenny’s truck, Joe got back in his own and headed home, thinking about returning Trish’s sexy bra. From there, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but he’d figure it out as he went.
Pulling into the driveway, he walked around back. To the right sat a small metal barn he’d erected for the Cobra, with work space for any other projects he wanted to tackle at home now that the car’s restoration was done. To the left stood the same old slanted shed that had always been there, housing the lawn mower and gardening tools. Sunshine, a stray cat who’d stuck around when he’d taken pity and started feeding her about five years back, was about to drop a litter of kittens, and the last time that’d happened, she’d parked them in a hollow spot under one side of the shed. Through Debbie, he’d lucked into a connection with a Brownie troop of little girls who’d all wanted cats. This time, he doubted he’d be so lucky.
His saggy-jowled old dog, Elvis, came ambling around the corner of the house to greet him. His little sister had come up with the name because their mom had loved Elvis and because he wasn’t “nothin’ but a hound dog”—a beagle/basset mix. “Hey, bud,” he said, bending to give the dog an easy scratch behind the ears. “I haven’t seen you since yesterday morning.” He eyed Elvis with suspicion. “You been out puttin’ the moves on that little blond collie over at Mrs. Crowley’s?” Elvis usually stuck close to home, where he led a wild life of naps on the front porch and the occasional stroll around the yard. So when Joe didn’t see him for a day or two, he figured Elvis was out looking for love.
“Guess I’ve been doing the same thing,” he told the dog absently, adding, “sort of. But your girl probably likes you better than mine likes me.”
Scanning the backyard, Joe narrowed in on the shed, moving closer. Sure enough, Sunshine lay stretched out on her side with four kittens busily nursing, so tiny their eyes weren’t yet open. Two were the same yellowy-orange as their mother, one solid black, and the last fluffy and gray. “Looks like you did good, girl.”
After watching them for a minute, he pulled the drooping limbs of a gangly forsythia bush next to the shed over one side of the hollow spot—just to provide a little protection. “But looks like I need to find some more Brownies,” he muttered as he headed in the back door.
No sooner had he shut it behind him than the doorbell rang—and his first thought was Trish. Had she come to apologize? Or at least explain? Despite himself, his heart beat a little faster as he strode through the house to answer.
He opened the door to find—damn, just Jana. Not
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