DamionTwo days and nothing from Alex. I thought about sending her a text, letting her know I was sorry for my behavior. I knew better than to get mixed up with someone I worked with. I had never done it in the past.“Are you sad?” Oliver asked from the backseat.I looked in the mirror. “What? No. Why?”“You look sad.”I put on a smile. “I was just deep in thought. I’m not sad.”I parked the car outside our home, unable to stop myself from looking for her truck. It wasn’t there. I knew it wouldn’t be, but I had to look anyway. Oliver saw what I was feeling. I was bummed. Not sad but bummed. I had ruined something that could have been really good. I had allowed myself to get caught up in a feeling. I had allowed passion to rule my actions. Passion and lust were dangerous emotions.“Can I go see the horses?” Oliver asked.“Let’s put your backpack away first,” I told him.“Okay,” he said, bounding up the steps.I followed behind him, leaving the door open for a little fresh air in the ho

AlexThe tension between myself and Damion was easing. That first look had been intense. I had felt my cheeks burning and was unable to look directly at him. After a little internal pep talk, I had pulled myself together and looked him in the eye.“Should we have lasagna?” Damion asked.I looked up from the puzzle Oliver wanted me to help him with. “That’s kind of elaborate, isn’t it?”He grinned and pulled a frozen dish from the freezer. “If by elaborate you mean I have to turn on the oven, yes.”I laughed. “I think we’re having lasagna for dinner, Oliver.”Oliver looked over his shoulder. “And garlic bread,” he added.“Can’t have lasagna without garlic bread,” Damion said, reaching into the freezer and pulling out a box of sliced garlic bread.“Gee, I would hate for you to go through so much trouble for me,” I teased.“Only the best for you,” he said with a wink.The way he said it sent butterflies zooming around in my belly. Every time he looked at me or said something to me, my br

DamionI gave Oliver a little snack pack of cookies and a glass of milk. He was sitting on the couch, his favorite show on TV with his tablet in his hand. He was the kind of kid that could play his games and watch TV at the same time, although I doubted either had his full attention. He had always been that way, always looking for input. It explained his love for reading. His brain was starving for knowledge. He did all he could to feed it.“I’ll be right outside on the porch if you need me,” I told him. “You get one show and then I need you to get your jammies on.”He nodded, not taking his eyes off the TV. “Okay.”“No more snacks after that,” I lectured.His eyes were still glued to the TV. “Okay,” he answered again. I had a feeling he wasn’t listening to me.“Your horse is in your bed.”“O—” He looked up and frowned. “What?”I laughed, my test proving my suspicion. “One show. No more snacks. Jammies after the show.”That time, I knew he heard me. I walked away, leaving him to his d

AlexI yawned, covering my mouth with the back of my hand as I followed the straight road that felt like it led to nowhere. My butt hurt. My neck had a horrible kink in it, and I was absolutely sick of driving. I had rolled into Laramie, Wyoming late last night after being on the road for over ten hours. I was exhausted but excited to check out the new farm.I loved a new challenge.I passed under a faded arch with a sign announcing I was on the Cobb farm. I looked left and right, driving slowly down the narrow dirt road. It looked a lot like Montana with the endless rows of wheat swaying in the wind. I realized after driving for several minutes I had yet to come upon the house. Was I still on the right road?Before I had time to pull over and turn around, I saw the house. Holy shit. The farm was massive. I wondered how many people Wayne had running the place. I saw a man on a tractor in the distance. We were both headed for the house. I parked my truck and got out, stretching my arms

DamionI slid the handle on the toaster down, getting the frozen waffles cooking while I finished scrambling the eggs for Oliver’s breakfast. I was taking a shortcut with the frozen waffles, but I didn’t think he would care. It was still a fairly nutritious meal. I hadn’t slept well at all, and by the time I did fall asleep, it was early in the morning. I had overslept.I had spent the night thinking about Alex. I told myself to let it go, but it was like a bad craving. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had one last taste, or in her case, one last anything. It wasn’t only the sex. I liked her—the woman. I liked her friendship. I liked her smile and I liked how much Oliver liked her. The last was the toughest part of the whole situation. He really liked her, and he wouldn’t get to see her again because I went and screwed things up.“Oliver, breakfast is ready,” I hollered, pulling myself out of the same long lecture I had been going over in my head for the last two days.“Coming,” came h