cheering.
Suddenly, in a furious blur of sound and movement she heard yelling and cursing, and all three of the bullies swooped toward the dark-haired boy at once—even as the kid he’d been trying to protect scrambled to his feet and ran, leaving his protector to face the others alone.
“Stop it.
Stop!
” Carly didn’t remember taking a step but somehow she was in front of Roy’s Diner, watching at close range as the husky boy fought off all three.
She saw him get hit hard in the jaw, but he never wavered. He just hit back harder, again and again, punch after punch, cold, concentrated determination on his face, seemingly oblivious of the trickle of blood running from his lip as he dodged some blows and absorbed others and fought ruthlessly back.
“Three against one—that’s not fair!” she shouted only a few feet away from them, right before she heard footsteps pounding behind her and spun around in alarm.
But the two young men running toward the fray were older, and they dodged neatly around her.
“You need to step way back now, honey,” one of them told her calmly.
And then they each grabbed one of the bullies and dragged him into a headlock. The dark-haired boy punched the third bully one final time, then confronted his would-be rescuers.
“Let ’em go, Rafe! Travis, I mean it! I can take them all!”
And that was the first time she ever heard Jake Tanner’s voice.
She’d never seen anyone braver or tougher. Anyone as quick with his fists, or as steady on his feet, or as eager to knock down a bully. And even at that age, he was more compelling and handsome than any male had a right to be.
By that time, several grown-ups had streamed out of Roy’s Diner to break things up and Annie and Martha were among those rushing outside to see what all the commotion was about. The moment Jake’s brothers let the aggressors go, the three thugs broke for it, pounding away up the street.
After Carly explained exactly what had transpired, Martha promptly introduced them both to the Tanner boys—Rafe, Travis, and Jake.
Little did she know then that the next time she’d see Jake Tanner up close he’d be a towering six foot, two inches of lean, hard-muscled cowboy.
A cowboy offering to buy her dinner at a Houston hotel.
He was all grown up by then—a tall, mouthwateringly handsome man—with an easy walk and a glint in his dark blue eyes hot enough to melt every ice cube in the hotel bar.
It was that glint that caught her, as much as that incredibly muscular body. That and the need to blot Kevin and all the anger she felt toward him out of her mind had spurred her to go for it. To have mind-numbing, incredible, forget-everything-else-in-the-world sex with Jake Tanner. Just for one night.
She’d figured if Jake couldn’t sweep away some of the pain Kevin had caused, no one could.
Now, as Emma stirred in Carly’s arms and mumbled something unintelligible, Carly realized how far she’d come. Emma was her world. And Kevin was nothing but a sour-tasting memory.
Even the email she’d received the week before from her college roommate Sydney—an email with a link to a
Boston Herald
article about Kevin’s latest legal troubles—didn’t make her feel anything but relief that she’d found out the truth and broken things off when she did.
Now she gazed down at her beautiful little daughter.
“Time for bed, baby,” she whispered. Emma’s eyelashes had already fluttered closed.
Rising from the rocker, Carly settled Emma in her crib, then swept up a stuffed elephant and a doll from the floor. She tucked them into the toy bin near the changing table, dimmed the lights, and returned to the kitchen.
She set water to boil for tea before settling with her laptop at the kitchen table to shoot a quick email back to Syd.
They exchanged emails almost every week, usually about normal stuff, like what new words Emma was saying, or Syd’s life as she continued to try to pick up the pieces since her
Suddenly, in a furious blur of sound and movement she heard yelling and cursing, and all three of the bullies swooped toward the dark-haired boy at once—even as the kid he’d been trying to protect scrambled to his feet and ran, leaving his protector to face the others alone.
“Stop it.
Stop!
” Carly didn’t remember taking a step but somehow she was in front of Roy’s Diner, watching at close range as the husky boy fought off all three.
She saw him get hit hard in the jaw, but he never wavered. He just hit back harder, again and again, punch after punch, cold, concentrated determination on his face, seemingly oblivious of the trickle of blood running from his lip as he dodged some blows and absorbed others and fought ruthlessly back.
“Three against one—that’s not fair!” she shouted only a few feet away from them, right before she heard footsteps pounding behind her and spun around in alarm.
But the two young men running toward the fray were older, and they dodged neatly around her.
“You need to step way back now, honey,” one of them told her calmly.
And then they each grabbed one of the bullies and dragged him into a headlock. The dark-haired boy punched the third bully one final time, then confronted his would-be rescuers.
“Let ’em go, Rafe! Travis, I mean it! I can take them all!”
And that was the first time she ever heard Jake Tanner’s voice.
She’d never seen anyone braver or tougher. Anyone as quick with his fists, or as steady on his feet, or as eager to knock down a bully. And even at that age, he was more compelling and handsome than any male had a right to be.
By that time, several grown-ups had streamed out of Roy’s Diner to break things up and Annie and Martha were among those rushing outside to see what all the commotion was about. The moment Jake’s brothers let the aggressors go, the three thugs broke for it, pounding away up the street.
After Carly explained exactly what had transpired, Martha promptly introduced them both to the Tanner boys—Rafe, Travis, and Jake.
Little did she know then that the next time she’d see Jake Tanner up close he’d be a towering six foot, two inches of lean, hard-muscled cowboy.
A cowboy offering to buy her dinner at a Houston hotel.
He was all grown up by then—a tall, mouthwateringly handsome man—with an easy walk and a glint in his dark blue eyes hot enough to melt every ice cube in the hotel bar.
It was that glint that caught her, as much as that incredibly muscular body. That and the need to blot Kevin and all the anger she felt toward him out of her mind had spurred her to go for it. To have mind-numbing, incredible, forget-everything-else-in-the-world sex with Jake Tanner. Just for one night.
She’d figured if Jake couldn’t sweep away some of the pain Kevin had caused, no one could.
Now, as Emma stirred in Carly’s arms and mumbled something unintelligible, Carly realized how far she’d come. Emma was her world. And Kevin was nothing but a sour-tasting memory.
Even the email she’d received the week before from her college roommate Sydney—an email with a link to a
Boston Herald
article about Kevin’s latest legal troubles—didn’t make her feel anything but relief that she’d found out the truth and broken things off when she did.
Now she gazed down at her beautiful little daughter.
“Time for bed, baby,” she whispered. Emma’s eyelashes had already fluttered closed.
Rising from the rocker, Carly settled Emma in her crib, then swept up a stuffed elephant and a doll from the floor. She tucked them into the toy bin near the changing table, dimmed the lights, and returned to the kitchen.
She set water to boil for tea before settling with her laptop at the kitchen table to shoot a quick email back to Syd.
They exchanged emails almost every week, usually about normal stuff, like what new words Emma was saying, or Syd’s life as she continued to try to pick up the pieces since her
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