Page 36 of A Family With the Cowboy

A fling. She’d never thought of herself as a let’s-have-a-fling kind of gal, but over the last few days she’d been wondering if maybe there was something to be said for the idea.

Maybe Hayden was right. Get naked and sleep together… well, sleeping was obviously not going to do the trick. Have sex.

Vivid images of Hayden’s naked upper body—the one she hadn’t even seen yet and probably never would—popped into her mind.

Oh, my goodness, this wasn’t helping. Inhaling shakily, she looked up and down the street. Which way would they go?

*

“It’s Tim Higgins,”Willow said as they walked toward the truck. “Do you want me to call Dawson?”

Just then, Hayden’s two brothers appeared from behind the barn. Thank goodness Luke was gone for the moment. “It’s fine. Coop and Becket are here as well.”

Tim got out of his truck, clearly looking uncomfortable.

“Higgins,” Hayden said curtly.

After a glance in Cooper and Becket’s direction, Tim looked at Hayden. “I wanna talk to you.”

“So talk.”

“In private.”

His siblings stepped closer. “This is as private as it’s going to get,” Hayden said.

“No complaint has been filed against me, Dawson O’Dell tells me.”

“Not yet.”

Higgins sniggered. “No evidence, I take it.”

“You’d be wrong.”

“What? If you ask me, all you have is your crazy sister’s…”

Both Cooper and Becket stepped closer to Higgins.

Staggering backward, he pointed his finger toward them. “You’re all crazy. The lot of you. I don’t know how, but you’re using my land for grazing for your cattle. I just know it. That’s why we’re having problems. This ridiculous grazing system you’re promoting is BS and I’ll prove it. You’ve taken what’s mine, so don’t think I’m done with you.”

This time Hayden moved forward. Tim quickly got into his truck. As he drove away, Luke and Jessie came running around the corner.

For an excruciating moment, everything happened in slow motion. Higgins’s truck swerved to the left, toward the boy and his dog. Because of the angle they were standing, Hayden couldn’t see whether Tim’s car had hit Luke, but he heard his little boy’s cries.

He was running even before Tim’s truck stopped. “Luke!” he roared, with the sound of his siblings’ shouts behind him.

They all reached Luke simultaneously. His son was on his knees next to Jessie, crying. The dog was lying very still.

“I’m sorry…” Tim was saying behind them. “I didn’t mean it, I was just so…so angry.”

“Get the hell off our ranch,” Becket said.

“But I’m so sorry…”

Hayden ignored Tim. His only concern was his son.

“I didn’t mean…” Tim’s voice again. “Is the boy okay?”

“Just go, please?” Willow’s voice.

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