Rick’s, from the vibrant blue eyes to the chestnut hair, to the dimple in one cheek.
Damn it, Stanton. Don’t go wide-eyed over a cute kid and a dog. And a cowboy hunk. You’re a reporter. A professional. You can do this.
She grabbed her purse and laptop, and followed the others out of the vehicle.
As she stood beside the vehicle, the Rottweiler sniffed at her jeans and slobbered on her shoes.
Even the friggin’ dog is cute. Damn, damn, damn…
“Trevor!” Rick gave the boy a fierce hug and set him back down on the ground. “I missed you too, kiddo. Did you behave?”
“Yup.” The child nodded so hard his hair flopped into his eyes. Lani wanted to groan. “I did all my chores, and helped Grandma in the garden, fed the pigs, and found a rattlesnake, but I didn’t get close to it, I ran and told Grandma and—”
“Slow down there, Pardner.” Chuck crouched down, eye level with Trevor. “What’s this about a rattler?”
The boy squirmed. “I found it this morning and told Grandma and she chopped its head off with a shovel, and she gave me the rattles. They’re really long and so cool, you wanna see?” He grabbed his dad’s hand and tried to pull him toward the house.
“Hold on,” Rick said. “Trevor, this is Lani. She’s the reporter who’ll be staying with us.”
The adorable little dynamo actually slowed down for a second and looked at her. “Whoa, you’re a girl. We thought you were a boy. Isn’t Lane a boy’s name?”
Lani forgot about why she didn’t want to love the child instantly, grinned and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Trevor. My real name is Lani but I go by Lane E. for my work.”
He gave her a gap-tooth smile and shook her hand, and she noticed he smelled of bubblegum and dog. He would easily be as handsome as his dad when he grew up. “You wanna see my snake rattle?”
Chuck patted Trevor on his shoulder. “Show Lani to the guest room, and then you can show her the rattle.”
“Okay!” The boy grabbed her hand and started for the house, hauling her along like he probably hauled his dog around when the big brute was a puppy. “How old are you? I’m nine. Well, almost nine. My birthday is in three days on the fourth of July. It’s summer, so we don’t have school now. Grandma says that there’s six more weeks until school starts and she can’t wait, ‘cause then she’ll get some peace and quiet. She calls me Taz. She thinks I’m like the Tasmanian Devil. Ever heard of him? He’s on Bugs Bunny. I watch it all the time on Cartoon Network.”
Lani laughed out loud. “I’m twenty-five and I think Taz is a good nickname for you.”
“My dad’s old ‘cause he’s thirty-four now. But Grandma and Grandpa are lots older.”
“Now what’s this about your Grandma being old?” came a voice from the porch, then a youthful woman stepped through the screened door. She had the same blue eyes as Trevor and Rick, though her brown hair was graying at the temples.
“Grandma! This lady is Lani, the reporter who’s staying with us. She’s not a man, though, and she’s twenty-five. I’m going to show her my snake rattle after I show her where the guest room is.”
The woman clasped Lani’s hand in a firm grip. “I’m Sadie Turner. I see you’ve met the welcoming committee.”
Lani returned the woman’s warm smile and thanked her for her hospitality. “You look much too young to be Rick’s mother,” she added, “and certainly not a Grandmother.”
Sadie laughed, a genuine sound that made Lani feel comfortable at once. “I like you already. I’m plenty old enough, and have the battle scars to prove it.”
Trevor nodded solemnly. “Grandma’s real old, ‘cause she’s over fifty and Grandpa’s really, really old ‘cause he’s older than that.”
“Off with you now, and show Lani her room.” Sadie gave Trevor a playful swat on his behind. “And wash up. You’re filthy.”
“Okay.” He pulled Lani through the screened-in
Damn it, Stanton. Don’t go wide-eyed over a cute kid and a dog. And a cowboy hunk. You’re a reporter. A professional. You can do this.
She grabbed her purse and laptop, and followed the others out of the vehicle.
As she stood beside the vehicle, the Rottweiler sniffed at her jeans and slobbered on her shoes.
Even the friggin’ dog is cute. Damn, damn, damn…
“Trevor!” Rick gave the boy a fierce hug and set him back down on the ground. “I missed you too, kiddo. Did you behave?”
“Yup.” The child nodded so hard his hair flopped into his eyes. Lani wanted to groan. “I did all my chores, and helped Grandma in the garden, fed the pigs, and found a rattlesnake, but I didn’t get close to it, I ran and told Grandma and—”
“Slow down there, Pardner.” Chuck crouched down, eye level with Trevor. “What’s this about a rattler?”
The boy squirmed. “I found it this morning and told Grandma and she chopped its head off with a shovel, and she gave me the rattles. They’re really long and so cool, you wanna see?” He grabbed his dad’s hand and tried to pull him toward the house.
“Hold on,” Rick said. “Trevor, this is Lani. She’s the reporter who’ll be staying with us.”
The adorable little dynamo actually slowed down for a second and looked at her. “Whoa, you’re a girl. We thought you were a boy. Isn’t Lane a boy’s name?”
Lani forgot about why she didn’t want to love the child instantly, grinned and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Trevor. My real name is Lani but I go by Lane E. for my work.”
He gave her a gap-tooth smile and shook her hand, and she noticed he smelled of bubblegum and dog. He would easily be as handsome as his dad when he grew up. “You wanna see my snake rattle?”
Chuck patted Trevor on his shoulder. “Show Lani to the guest room, and then you can show her the rattle.”
“Okay!” The boy grabbed her hand and started for the house, hauling her along like he probably hauled his dog around when the big brute was a puppy. “How old are you? I’m nine. Well, almost nine. My birthday is in three days on the fourth of July. It’s summer, so we don’t have school now. Grandma says that there’s six more weeks until school starts and she can’t wait, ‘cause then she’ll get some peace and quiet. She calls me Taz. She thinks I’m like the Tasmanian Devil. Ever heard of him? He’s on Bugs Bunny. I watch it all the time on Cartoon Network.”
Lani laughed out loud. “I’m twenty-five and I think Taz is a good nickname for you.”
“My dad’s old ‘cause he’s thirty-four now. But Grandma and Grandpa are lots older.”
“Now what’s this about your Grandma being old?” came a voice from the porch, then a youthful woman stepped through the screened door. She had the same blue eyes as Trevor and Rick, though her brown hair was graying at the temples.
“Grandma! This lady is Lani, the reporter who’s staying with us. She’s not a man, though, and she’s twenty-five. I’m going to show her my snake rattle after I show her where the guest room is.”
The woman clasped Lani’s hand in a firm grip. “I’m Sadie Turner. I see you’ve met the welcoming committee.”
Lani returned the woman’s warm smile and thanked her for her hospitality. “You look much too young to be Rick’s mother,” she added, “and certainly not a Grandmother.”
Sadie laughed, a genuine sound that made Lani feel comfortable at once. “I like you already. I’m plenty old enough, and have the battle scars to prove it.”
Trevor nodded solemnly. “Grandma’s real old, ‘cause she’s over fifty and Grandpa’s really, really old ‘cause he’s older than that.”
“Off with you now, and show Lani her room.” Sadie gave Trevor a playful swat on his behind. “And wash up. You’re filthy.”
“Okay.” He pulled Lani through the screened-in
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