Page 97 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“What?”
“It’s Deputy Wade’s job to catch bad guys, so we have to let him do that part, but we can make our own security team.We can guard the house and protect your mom.”
Marcus mulled that over.He lifted his slingshot.“Can I shoot the firecracker man in the eye if he comes?”
“How will you know it’s him?”
“He’ll have firecrackers.”
Jason couldn’t fault his logic.He showed Marcus how to get more speed and power by drawing back steadily on the rubber sling.Marcus screwed up his face in concentration as he mimicked Jason’s motions.The boy took aim at a tree branch and let a rock fly.A squirrel scurried down the trunk, disturbed by the motion.
While Marcus honed his aim, Natalie made several trips upstairs, her arms full.She had towels and sheets, pillows and blankets.They exchanged a weighted glance as she ascended the steps.She was making things cozy for him and perhaps for herself.The apartment was the perfect location for a private rendezvous.
“I need your help to secure the house,” Jason said to Marcus.“Come on.”
Jason put the slingshot on the shelf and retrieved the security system he’d bought.It was a combination of motion lights and mini cameras.With Marcus on standby, holding a handful of screws, Jason affixed one camera above the front door, another to the side of the house.
The security lights were triggered by motion and designed to scare away intruders while the camera recorded footage in a constant loop.Natalie could access the footage on her cell phone at any time.When he was finished, he gave her the instructions.Jason noticed her cracked screen as she navigated the app and activated the system.He wasn’t the only one who denied himself life’s luxuries.
In the final hours of the day, storm clouds started to gather in the distance.Jason had spotted a stack of dry firewood behind the garage, along with a metal carrying rack.He filled up the rack and set it near the fireplace.Tonight, he would brave the great indoors.Natalie had covered the mattress with flannel sheets and wool blankets in soothing earth tones.Although he had mixed feelings about sleeping inside, it looked comfortable.
They shared a quiet dinner of homemade soup and bread.Jason had never hadalbondigassoup before.The Mexican spices and savory meatballs made for a warm, satisfying meal.He scraped his bowl twice before declaring himself full.
Marcus requested a Disney movie after dinner, which Natalie agreed to easily.
“Sit by me,” Marcus demanded of Jason.
Jason glanced at Natalie, who shrugged, leaving it up to him.Jason took the space Marcus had indicated while she settled on the opposite side.Maybe it was better to have Marcus as a buffer between them.Jason could focus on the movie and not get distracted by Natalie’s close proximity.
Marcus narrated the plot points as if they were hard to follow.Jason listened with half an ear to the boy’s excited chatter, though no response was required.When Marcus reached out to hold his hand, Jason let him.
“Why does your hand feel like that?”Marcus asked.
“Like what?”
Marcus’s face screwed up.“Like a turtle shell.”
Jason smiled at the description.“I have calluses.”
“Why?”
“I work with my hands a lot.”
Marcus turned Jason’s hand over to inspect the surface.Then he pulled Jason’s palm toward Natalie so she could share in his discovery.“Feel it, Mom.”
With reluctance, Natalie reached out and touched his palm.Jason held still as she skimmed her fingertips over his skin.Her gaze lifted to his, and heat flared between them.She wasn’t put off by his work-roughened hands.She liked them.She’d added “nice hands” to her list of his positive attributes.Maybe she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He told himself it wasn’t personal, that she just hadn’t been with a man in a long time.But he couldn’t quite believe it because his own abstinence hadn’t turned him into a sex maniac.She had.He wasn’t wild for any woman; he was wild for her.
“I like my mom’s hands better,” Marcus said.
“So do I,” Jason admitted.
Natalie broke the contact, seeming flustered.They continued watching the movie, but Jason’s attention wandered, even with Marcus’s helpful recitation of events.The long day and restless night caught up with him.Rain started to patter against the living room window, adding to the cozy ambiance.Jason closed his eyes.He felt a contentment he’d never known before and one he suspected could not last.
Chapter Twenty
Natalie let Jasonsleep for several hours.
