LITMIR.BIZ

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the engine with a little more violence than was strictly necessary.

      They began the drive toward town in silence, and Cain told himself to keep it that way. To keep his temper in check. Because Violet was a teenager, and she was testing boundaries. Because she was angry, because ever since they had left Texas she had felt disenfranchised and stuff because she’d had to leave her friends behind. So it wasn’t about him. It really wasn’t. It was about the change. And he needed to remember that.

      That lasted all of ten minutes.

      “You think I did this for me?” he asked. “You think that I sold everything I spent your entire life building because I thought it would be hilarious to start over somewhere? Just for fun?”

      “I think you’d rather work yourself to death than sit in the same room with me for more than five seconds.”

      “I sat in a truck with you from Texas to Oregon, I don’t think that’s the real issue here. That was a long-ass drive, Violet. I didn’t avoid that, did I?”

      “Whatever,” she said, propping her chin up on her hand and staring out the window.

      He was so mad at her, and he wanted to leave her on the side of the road. But suddenly he was overwhelmed by the urge to laugh. Because the drama was just a little too much, and a whole lot familiar. He could remember doing the exact same thing at Violet’s age. Of course, when he’d been angry at his mother it was because she had stayed out all night at the casino and gone home with a strange man.

      Violet had no freaking idea how good she had it.

      “We were dying there,” he said, his tone rough. “Waiting for her to come back. And I wasn’t going to wait anymore.”

      “You didn’t ask me.”

      He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “No. I didn’t. This isn’t a democracy, this is a dictatorship. I wasn’t taking votes.”

      She made that horrible, cat-hacking-up-a-hair-ball sound that teenagers made when they just couldn’t even with you.

      And after that, he let it rest. Because he did have to take her to work, not leave her on the side of the road.

      “I’m going to get in trouble,” Violet said when they pulled up in front of Pie in the Sky. And in that moment, she sounded so young, so small, and so defeated he just couldn’t be mad anymore.

      “No, you aren’t. Alison seems nice. She’ll understand that your alarm didn’t go off. It was a mistake. It happens.”

      She looked up at him then, her eyes suspiciously bright, the expression in them pleading. But she wasn’t going to ask for his help, of course not. She was just going to sit there looking miserable until he offered it. And of course he was going to offer it. Because dammit, it felt good to have her need him.

      Usually, he had no idea what in the hell he could do for her. But this, he could do.

      “Come on. I’ll walk you inside.”

      The fact that she didn’t argue with him confirmed his suspicions about the fact that she did want his help. As soon as they entered the bakery Violet scampered behind the counter, grabbing an apron as she went, disappearing into the kitchen. A few seconds later, Alison appeared.

      She was wearing much the same thing she’d worn yesterday, all that red hair piled on top of her head again. She looked up, pausing, her expression like someone who had been hit by a truck. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were here,” she said, reaching up and patting her hair, then dropping her hand quickly and smoothing her apron in what looked like a nervous, fluttery motion.

      He affected her. He made her nervous. Well. Hell.

      “I figured I would walk Violet in. I know she’s late.”

      Alison frowned. “Right. I put her to work on cupcake duty. I really needed the help this morning.”

      “Her alarm didn’t go off. You know how phones are.” Or, he figured it was something to do with the phone. He didn’t really know how phones were. He had no clue what he was saying.

      “She needs to get a backup,” Alison said, her tone not unkind, but definitely firm. “But I have no trouble talking to her about that. She’s sixteen, I think she can take the responsibility for it.”

      That rankled a little bit. Because he had decided to come in and take the responsibility for it. Because he wanted to be the hero here. Violet might be too little for him to pick up and put on his shoulders, but he could do this. “Yes,” he said. “But she is still learning. She’s never had a job before. And she’s used to me getting her up in the morning for school. But with the way things are working here at the ranch I’m out early. I wasn’t back in time to be her backup today. And she’s not used to that. She’ll learn, but you can’t expect her to get it right the first time.”

      Alison blinked. “Are you scolding me?”

      “Maybe.”

      “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” she said, resting her elbow on the counter and leaning in ever so slightly.

      “You don’t seem too offended,” he said, resting his own elbow on the counter and moving in toward her.

      “I’m in my place of business,” she countered. “So I’m being measured in my responses.”

      “I would hate to see your temper in full force.”

      “Is that a redhead joke?”

      “I don’t think so.” He leaned in just a little bit more, and when her breath caught, an answering catch hit him low in the stomach. “You seem a little defensive about that though. It makes me think people have commented on your temper before.”

      “Not for a while,” she said, a soft smile playing with the edges of her mouth.

      He wanted to taste that smile. And again, like she’d done the first time they’d talked here in the bakery, she licked her lips, as if she could read his mind about all the tasting he wanted to do.

      “Alison, the rest of the cupcakes are too hot to frost.”

      Both he and Alison looked up quickly, Alison’s head whipping back toward the kitchen, when Violet came out wringing her hands and looking lost.

      Violet. Yes. He had brought Violet to work. And he had been... Well. Damn. He had been flirting with her boss. And he had decided he wasn’t going to do that.

      “That’s fine,” Alison said. “You can watch Sabine do doughnuts. It’s pretty easy. I think you’ll be able to pick it up pretty fast.”

      “Bye, Dad,” Violet said, turning and heading back into the kitchen. Clearly, he was dismissed.

      “I’d better get back,” he said. And he really needed to get his damn head on straight.

      “Right. Well. Get your daughter an alarm clock.”

      He touched the tip of his hat with his fingertips and drew it down. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, thickening his drawl on purpose.

      He wasn’t sure what he expected, but he liked the result. The color rose in her cheeks, pretty and bright, and for a moment he just enjoyed the sight. He wasn’t going to do anything about her response to him, but, apparently he hadn’t forgotten how to do this entirely. That was good to know.

      “I’ll be back later,” he said. And he didn’t wait for her response before he walked out of the shop and back onto the street.

      * * *

      ALISON WAS STILL flustered a couple of hours after Cain left. She had been ready to stand firm when it had come to Violet and her lateness. But then... Then... Stuff had happened. And she still wasn’t entirely sure what it had been. Well, okay, it had been flirting. She was reasonably sure. But why? Why did she have to respond to him like this? And what was even the point of him making it blatantly obvious that he was...that

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