Wishing for a Cowboy (Wishing River #3) - Victoria James Page 0,2

lock up.”

Janie stood straighter, her heart racing at the sound of the deep voice coming from somewhere in the bar, trying to find him. A door swung open, followed by the appearance of the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Cobalt blue eyes met hers from across the room before flickering over her, and Janie already knew she was staring at Aiden Rivers. His jet-black hair was disheveled and thick, his face all hard lines of perfection, except for the faint scar that ran down one side. The only flaw—except on him, it didn’t quite seem like a flaw. He was tall, even taller than Will, with broad shoulders that tapered to a lean waist and hips. He was…he was definitely her sister Maxi’s type.

He had a dish towel thrown over one shoulder, and his expression was friendly as he walked toward her. “Do you need help?” he said. “Are you lost?”

She shook her head, everything Maxi had ever told her about him flooding her mind. Aiden Rivers is a playboy. One woman to the next. Drinks too much, parties too hard. Trouble. Janie took a deep breath, holding on tight to Morris’s leash like it was her lifeline. “No…no, I’m not lost. I’m here on purpose, actually. We’re looking for Aiden Rivers.”

His gaze went from her to Morris, and she regretted her choice of words. Clearly, he thought by “we” she meant herself and the cat.

“I don’t think I’ve met either of you before,” he said, then gave Morris a pointed look. “Sorry, buddy, but even if we weren’t closed—no shirt, no shoes, no service.” He brought his gaze back up to Janie with a grin that produced a dimple. An unexpected dimple on the left side of his cheek. An unexpected bit of boyishness on a hard, masculine face. A dimple in the exact same spot as—

Sweat beaded and trickled down between her shoulder blades as she searched for the right words. “No, we haven’t met before. But you might remember my sister. Maxi Adams?”

The warmth she’d detected in his eyes was gone and shuttered up so quickly she wondered if she’d imagined it. “I haven’t seen or spoken to Maxi in over fifteen years.”

Before Janie could answer, the door burst open, a gust of wind and snow swirling into the bar. Janie didn’t need to turn around to know who was standing there. Aiden’s expression—his tanned skin suddenly ashen, his mouth dropping open as he stared at the doorway—told her exactly who had joined them.

“Mr. Rivers, this is my nephew, Will Adams. I’ve raised him on my own since he was four. He’s fifteen now…and I think he might be yours.”

Chapter Two

Blood roared through Aiden’s ears, his gaze darting back and forth between the woman with gorgeous green eyes and the boy—teenager—staring at him like he’d judged and sentenced him.

It took him a pulsing, throbbing, full second before he forced himself to make solid eye contact with the kid, and the moment he looked deep into his blue eyes, something inside, something he’d never experienced in his lifetime stirred, awakened.

He knew him; on some level, he just knew him. He took in the color of his eyes, and it was like he was staring into his own. The stubborn tilt of the kid’s chin was so much like his, one that had gotten him into trouble many times growing up. But it was something else, too. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. His chest squeezed when he realized the kid was waiting for him to say something. The insecurity in his eyes gutted him.

Nothing in his thirty-three years had ever prepared him for this moment. How could it? Having a stranger show up and tell him he might be a father wasn’t exactly the type of scenario he ever thought he’d be in. He’d never planned to settle down and have a family, because he knew he wasn’t father material. His problems were more of the practical variety—breaking up bar fights, making sure no one who was toasted got behind the wheel of their truck, making sure he was well-staffed for the weekend crowd. This, though… I think he might be yours? And the woman and boy were both looking at him as if they didn’t like him at all. What had Maxi told them about him?

He cleared his throat. “How do you know— I mean…uh, Maxi never said anything to me about having a kid.”

The boy made a scoffing sound, folded his arms over his