Rugged Cowboy - Elana Johnson Page 0,40

“Your turn, Tommy.”

“Dear Lord,” Tommy started, bowing his head as he spoke. “Bless this food. Thank you for Jess for bringin’ it. We’re glad to have our own house without the bugs. Bless Mom. Bless Dad. Help me to get a good grade on my science test on Friday, and help Remmy to forget about gettin’ a cat. Amen.”

“Amen,” Dallas said, glad Thomas had at least remembered the bit about Jess bringing the food.

“I’m not going to forget about a cat,” Remmy said, reaching for one of the toasty pieces of garlic bread.

Dallas grinned at her and then Thomas, wondering what he thought about his mother. Bless Mom. What did that mean?

Dallas hadn’t gotten any extra airtime in the prayer. Bless Dad.

He needed all the help he could get, and he looked at Thomas and asked, “What’s the science test about on Friday?”

A couple of hours later, he eased out of Remmy’s bedroom and closed the door behind him without making a sound. Exhaustion pulled through his whole body as he went back into the main area of the house and found Jess putting the rest of the pasta in his fridge.

His heart slipped between beats at the sight of her there, and he keenly remembered having a good woman in his home, helping with the kids, cleaning up dinner, and being his best friend.

He paused at the end of the hall and watched her turn toward him. “Thank you,” he said, his mouth suddenly dry as his fantasies started down a path that ended with kissing her goodnight. He’d entertained such thoughts on all of their previous dates, but he hadn’t quite pulled the trigger yet.

Their last date had been on a Sunday afternoon, and when they’d returned to the ranch, a picnic had been in full swing on the front lawn at the homestead. They hadn’t had any privacy, and Dallas definitely needed to be alone to kiss Jess.

“Of course,” she said.

They moved toward one another, and Dallas wrapped her in a hug, everything inside him sighing.

“You’re going to Houston on Friday, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “We’re leaving at noon to get a jump on the weekend.”

“Take me to dinner tomorrow night then?” She leaned back and peered up at him, and Dallas couldn’t look away from her deep, beautiful eyes.

“With the kids?” he asked. He was already leaving them with Amy and Brent that weekend, and sometimes the constant juggling of his parental responsibilities weighed on him like a noose around his neck.

He quickly dismissed those feelings, because his children were not a burden. He refused to think of them that way, even for a moment.

“Sure,” Jess said. “I’d love to go with the kids. Do you…what have you told them about us?”

“Not much,” he admitted, another sigh pulling through his body. He looked away, out the back window to the large back yard that already needed to be mowed. “I should probably say something, huh?”

“Probably,” she said. “I mean, how would you phrase that?”

He looked back to her, the feel of her arms around him suddenly registering twice as strongly in his mind. “Hmm, that’s a good question.” He smiled at her. “I think I’d use the word girlfriend if you’re not averse to that.”

Jess’s eyes sparkled, but she did not smile. “I don’t think so, cowboy,” she said.

“No?” Dallas asked, liking this game and the way she teased him.

“You haven’t kissed me yet,” she said. “It’s not the first date, and I think kissing comes before that specific label.”

Dallas didn’t waste another moment. He adjusted his hands along her waist, leaned down, and touched his mouth to hers, letting his eyes drift closed. Pure heat stole through his body, pumping out in waves with every beat of his heart.

He deepened the kiss, because he hadn’t had the soft, caring touch of a woman in a long, long time. Jess matched his movement, absolutely no complaining coming from her. Thankfully, Dallas had managed to land the kiss without making a fool of himself.

Her fingernails traced up the sides of his neck and over his ears, causing a shiver to move through Dallas’s shoulders and down his spine. He wasn’t sure if this relationship was wise or not, or if he was moving too fast after his divorce or not. All he knew was he wanted to keep kissing Jess.

So he did—at least until Thomas said, “Dad? Can you come help me with my window?”

Dallas sucked in a breath and jumped away from Jess in the