She has what he needs ... in every sense of the word.
Evan Ross is desperate. If he fails to acquire a few specific properties for his boss, he'll lose everything he owns. Standing between him and his salvation? One rebellious, stubborn, and sexy-as...
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Thursday
A blanket of thick clouds along with a spike in humidity tailed Dani west on Highway 290. She watched them roll in as she waited for new tires to be put on her truck in Brenham.
"We could use the rain. A nice soaker to replenish the rainwater tanks. But can y'all wait till I'm back home?"
There was no denying having fresh rubber gripping the road gave her confidence a major boost, but not enough to welcome heavy rain while far from home.
She dreaded the thought of getting caught on the road during a gully-washer. Been there, done that, and once was enough for a lifetime. The downpour was so heavy, she couldn't see anything beyond the truck's hood. Bolts of lightning the size of tree trunks, crashed down around her in deafening booms that rocked the ground and shook her fillings.
In the small town of Giddings, she turned off the highway and into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. Situated halfway between Hampa Valley and Austin, it made a convenient spot to meet with Ava. They'd chitchat over lunch then exchange products. Ava got jars of lotions for the few farmer's markets she would sell at, and Dani got embroidery items for Mrs. Swenson's store.
She entered the restaurant and found Ava at a table with two-year-old Mia in a high-chair next to her. "Sorry, I'm a little late."
"No need," Ava said. "Someone had a poopie butt that had to be taken care of as soon we got here." She tickled her daughter's belly. "Didn't we?"
Dani settled in a chair across from her friend. "Ick. I hope you washed all the salmonella off before dipping into the chips."
"Hardy har har. Just you wait, when it's your turn, I'm going to get you back tenfold. Chips?"
"No thanks. My stomach been in a sorry way lately. How's your parents?"
"Hopefully not drunk. They're spending a few days in Fredericksburg doing the different wine tours." Ava placed a few chips in front of Mia. "You got a bug?"
"I wish it was that simple."
Mia babbled away as her pudgy finger dragged a tortilla chip across the tabletop.
"Don't tell me you're already heart-sick over your Yankee. How did that go?"
Dani spotted a waitress approaching, so she held off on answering.
Heart-sick? No way. Irked? Yep. The first guy I could really get into turns out to be a middleman for damnation. An irresistibly sexy one at that.
Once they gave their orders and were alone again, she finally said, "Parts were good. Parts were bad."
"Spill, girl." Ava filled a chip with salsa. "And start with the good stuff."
"After his presentation, we went for a beer. That part was nice. Real nice."
