Page 6 of Cowboy Stalker
My face warms. Other than Daisy’s father, I’ve never been with anyone. Brent was a guy I only dated for a few weeks, and we slept together once. I guess that first time was enough because nine months later, my baby girl arrived. Not that I’m complaining. Daisy is the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t let her grow up in foster care the way I did. I want her to have a stable life filled with all the love and nurturing I missed out on.
Griffin passes me a bag with a logo on it for Courage Cookies. I’ve heard of Haley Taylor’s bakery, but since I’m trying to stretch every penny as far as it will go, I haven’t stopped there yet. He taps a coffee cup in the holder. “You had a long night. Figured you could use a pick-me-up.”
I wonder how he knows it was a long night. I open the bag and inhale the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. It’s larger than my hand. I break off a tiny piece and nibble on it. “Is the exhaustion that evident?”
“Looks like someone is teething,” he answers as he turns onto the road into town. I don’t like being by myself at the edge of town. I chose to rent the house because it has three easy exit points. If I need to grab Daisy and run, I can do that.
The warm cookie melts in my mouth, the texture light and airy. I wash it down with a sip of sweet coffee, thankful that he bought me breakfast. “Do you have any kids?”
“Nope, been waiting for the right girl.”
I don’t know why the thought makes me sad. Probably because I know the right girl won’t be me, which is crazy. He asked me out, and I turned him down. He doesn’t need to get involved with my complicated world, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about dating a cop. “She’s the best part of my life.”
“Seems like you’re alone. Are her grandparents around?” He glances away from the road to look at me.
“No, I was a foster kid. I was on my own by eighteen. It wasn’t all bad. I have a best friend.” I pause and swallow. I’m still so angry and yet my anger wars with my grief. If she were alive, I’d yell at her. I’d scream about the stupid things she’d done that destroyed both of our lives. “I had a best friend. She passed away.”
He covers my hand with his. “I’m sorry.”
His big, rough hand is gentle against mine. It sends tingles down my arm to have him touching me. I wonder if he touched me in other ways if I would feel this tingly.
I can’t be thinking about him touching me right now. I definitely can’t have him looking into Shelley. If he does, he might connect the dots. “Do you have family nearby other than your aunt?”
He pulls into the parking lot of Ernie’s Diner. Lorna’s sky-blue Mustang is already in the parking lot, which means they’re both here. They always seem to be together, to be so in sync with each other. I wonder what it’s like to have that with another person. To be with a man you can always count on to have your back.
“We’re here,” he announces rather than answer my question.
“Thanks for the coffee and the cookie.” I reach into the diaper bag and try to find my last five-dollar bill. I was saving that for gas money, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The repair will probably be more than I can afford.
He puts a hand on my shoulder before I can give him the crumpled bill. “I don’t want your money. Maybe you’ve never had a good man in your life, so let’s get one thing crystal clear: I spoil you, not the other way around.”
Before I can even respond, he’s out of the truck. He unbuckles Daisy from her car seat easily, cooing down at her as he does. How is he so sexy? Why is he interested in me? Surely there are dozens of women that would be happy to go out with him.
I get out of the truck, juggling my bag and looking around for my car. I didn’t try to get it towed because I was sure that Ernie and Lorna wouldn’t care if it sat here overnight.
“I’ve already got it in the shop,” Griffin answers easily. He bounces Daisy in his arms, smiling down at her when she pats his face. She gives him one of her toothless grins and lets loose with a squeal.
My shoulders slump under the weight of another heavy financial burden. I don’t know how I’m going to work it out with the mechanic. Maybe he’ll take payments. Maybe I can move enough money between my two credit cards to make something work.
“Don’t worry about it. Cord and Zane owe me a favor,” he says as he walks me in. “I’ll be by after your shift to pick you up.”
He follows me to the office where Daisy’s crib is. The room seems so much smaller with his hulking frame next to me. I set down the car seat and diaper bag and try to ignore the spicy scent of his cologne in the confined space.
He passes me Daisy. I take her hand. “Wave goodbye.”
She gives him another grin.
“See you soon, Daisy,” he promises before he leans in to kiss my forehead. His gentle kiss gives me butterflies in my belly. He has this way of making me feel cared about and protected. It’s crazy because I hardly know him.
My day passes quickly. There are too many customers for me to spend time thinking about Griffin. I check in on Daisy frequently, often stopping to play with her for a few minutes. She sleeps a lot more than usual today, probably because she was up all night.
I stifle a yawn when the dinner rush is gone, and I’m down to my last two tables. My feet hurt, and my back aches. When I can afford it, I’m going to upgrade to some comfortable sneakers with the cushioned soles.
I hurry to the corner booth, my heart skipping a beat when I see Griffin. I shouldn’t feel so happy or so safe, but now that he’s here, my tense body relaxes. “What can I get you?”
He smiles at me. “Are you ready for that date yet?”
I shake my head rather than speak. If I open my mouth, I’m going to tell him yes. That would be a terrible idea. A woman on the run should not date someone in law enforcement. There’s no way it will end well.
