For you to ask me to marry you again.
Dammit. She could not, would not, sound that damn needy. Sky considered him for a second before she smiled. “I want to tie you to the bed.”
“And?”
“And what is unclear about that?”
“Be specific, ’cause if it’s tie me down and leave me there without playin’ any naughty sex games, well, darlin’, that ain’t happenin’.”
“There’ll be sex games, cowboy, don’t you worry about that.”
Kade kissed her square on the mouth. “Deal. Now excuse me, I gotta get ready for work. I hear my boss lady is a real hard ass.”
Sky said, “Baby girl, I think I created a monster.”
“He’s great with kids.”
If one more person said that to her today, Skylar was going to scream.
Annie said, “Instead of doin’ arts and crafts, he’s teaching them to throw a rope. And at naptime, he had them drape their blankets over the desks and pretend they were camping out, Old West style. He even got Joey to fall asleep.”
She growled.
“And, he promised to bring them a pony to ride next time.”
Sky slapped her hands on the desk. “Annie. Why are you barging in here and telling me all this when I have work to do?”
“Because I knew it’d drive you crazy.” Annie offered her a benevolent smile. “Don’t you think you oughta tell Kade how you feel about him?”
“Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know. I mean, I will when it’s not so complicated.”
“Don’t seem so complicated to me, but then again, I’m just a country girl. You love him, he loves you, get a preacher and get married. Simple.”
Skylar slumped back in her chair. “What makes you think he loves me?”
“He’s here, on his day off, takin’ care of kids that ain’t his, in order to help you out? Sugar, if that ain’t love, plain as day, I don’t know what is.” Annie left and closed the door.
A couple hours later Kade was outside dumping garbage when an old Dodge truck pulled up to the outer gate, not in the general parking area.
The bearded guy behind the wheel poked his head out the window and studied the building from top to bottom, side to side. Like he was casing the joint.
The behavior raised Kade’s hackles. Still, he decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. The man disappeared inside the truck cab, then sat up. He tipped a bottle of booze and took several long swallows. Then he jumped out of the truck, puffed up his chest and all Kade’s doubts were fully realized.
This guy was trouble.
Kade intercepted the man about thirty feet from the front entrance. “Something I can help you with, buddy?”
“I ain’t your fuckin’ buddy. Move.”
“Whoa. Then how’s about you tell me who you are?”
The man sneered. “How’s about you back the fuck off, and lemme handle my business.”
“See, that’s where I have a problem. What goes on in that buildin’ is my business so you’re gonna hafta tell me yours before I let you step another foot on this property.”
“My wife is in there. I wanna talk to her. Now get the hell outta my way.”
“What’s your wife’s name?”
“None of your business.”
“Again, it is my business. Tell me her name and I’ll get a message to her.”
“I’ll give her the message myself, asshole. Move.”
“No. What’s your name?”
“What the fuck is it to you?”
Kade was beyond pissed. “Wrong answer. Get in your truck and go home.”
The man’s beady black eyes shrunk to pinpoints. “You can’t keep me from my family. She took our kid and she’s hidin’ out in there and I got rights.”
“I don’t give a good goddamn about your rights. Get off this property. Now.”
“Or what?”
“It involves my boot in your ass, buddy.”
“Bet you’d like that you fuckin’ pervert.”
The steel door banged open and Skylar stormed out. “What is going on?”
“You!” The guy brushed past Kade, menace in every ounce of his posture.
Rather than take a chance this idiot might hurt Skylar, Kade jerked him to a stop by the back of his shirt.
The man twisted, leading with his fist. He clocked Kade in the jaw with enough force that Kade stumbled back. The guy came after him again, swinging and missing, then driving a punch straight to Kade’s sternum.
“Fuck!” Kade launched himself at the idiot. They fell to the soggy ground and Kade landed a solid right to the man’s mouth. Blood burst from the guy’s lip. Kade followed through with another right, but the guy rolled and Kade’s fist connected with mud. Before Kade regained his balance, the man hit him in the side of the head.