LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Five burgers is a lot to eat.”

      “It was six,” Pete insisted. “Six of my burgers.”

      “I’ll cover it,” Senada said, finding the situation disturbing. “You can cook some more.” Pete grumbled as he made his way to the refrigerator.

      “I wasn’t gonna eat them all,” the boy said.

      Troy nodded. “You got a name?”

      “Rocky.”

      “You got a family?”

      Rocky’s brown eyes glittered with defiance again. “Yeah. So what?”

      “Where do you live?”

      The boy made a quick dash for the door, but Troy was quicker. He caught the boy by the arm.

      “Lemme go!”

      “Where do you live?”

      Rocky glared at Troy. “We ain’t got no house. It’s my mom, my sister and me. My dad’s in jail. My mom cleans rooms at the hotel, and we ain’t got no house.”

      It hit Senada hard. She couldn’t exactly say why. Maybe she was still reeling from meeting someone from her father’s ranch. Maybe Helen’s words about how she should get involved with other people had finally taken hold. Either way, Senada felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach. Wake up. Things could be worse. There are other people in this world in far worse circumstances than yours.

      Her eyes met Troy’s, and the steadiness of his gaze calmed her. She cleared her throat. “You didn’t say where you live,” she finally said very quietly.

      Rocky lifted his thin shoulders. “For the last two weeks we’ve slept in a warehouse.”

      Troy took a deep breath. He knew what he was going to have to do. “How would you like a real roof over your head for a change?”

      “I don’t want social services.”

      Troy gave a wry laugh. “Do I look like social services? I have access to a two-bedroom garage apartment. You think your mom would like that?”

      “Maybe.”

      “Yeah, well, how about I walk with you to your mom’s, and we can ask her.”

      “Can I keep the burgers?”

      Senada blinked, spurred into action. “Yes. Just a minute, and I’ll give you some soda.” She filled some cups, gave them to Troy. “And here are some nachos. If you want more,” she told Rocky, “let me know, and I’ll get them for you. Okay?”

      “Okay,” the boy said in a surprised voice. “Thanks.”

      Senada looked at Troy curiously. “This sounds like your apartment. You’re ready to go back to Tennessee?”

      Troy wasn’t certain he heard hope or disappointment in her voice. “No chance, Sin. I’m headed back to that crappy hotel.” No AC. No fan. Stifling a groan, he paused. “Unless you’d like to show a little compassion and hospitality and let me stay with—”

      “Sorry, no,” she managed quicker than lightning, but Troy would have sworn she found it tough to refuse him.

      He chuckled. The woman was begging him to leave at every turn. Her eyes, however, seemed to be begging for something else. He was obviously suffering from delusions. “Had to try. I’ll see ya later, Sin. Lisa sent some baby pictures and told me to show them to you.”

      All wide eyes and tousled hair, she clasped her hands tightly together. “Okay.”

      Troy narrowed his eyes. She’d looked upset earlier, and she didn’t look any happier now.

      Knowing she couldn’t care less about his sleeping arrangements, he deliberately misunderstood her concern. “Hey,” he said, chucking her gently under the chin, “don’t worry about me. It’s a terrible motel and there’s no air conditioner and I’m lonely, but I’ll be okay.”

      She rolled her eyes and swatted at his hand. “You know, it’s almost what you deserve. Are you sure you don’t have a split personality? It amazes me how a complete jerk could do something so, so—” she glanced at Rocky, then back at Troy “—nice.”

      Troy grinned. “Just a backwater country boy keeping you on your toes.”

      After Troy got the Horge family settled in to his apartment and tossed most of his belongings in the backseat of his car, he noticed Senada’s light was still on. Reluctant to face the hot little motel room that was waiting for him, he rang her doorbell.

      He heard footsteps, followed by a long pause. She was probably trying to decide whether to open the door or not. He mugged for the peephole.

      The door whisked open, and Senada stood there in a long silky-looking white robe holding a bowl of cereal. At that moment, he coveted both the body beneath the robe…and the cereal. His stomach growled.

      “Hello to you too,” she said.

      “Noticed your light was still on,” he said, edging forward.

      She looked at him and sighed. “Rocky’s family all moved in to your apartment?”

      “Yeah, and I didn’t ever get those burgers you promised. It’s hell being a hero.”

      Senada sighed again and held the door open with her shoulder. “Okay, come on in. Rice cereal or frosted corn flakes?”

      “Both,” he said, walking through the doorway toward the dining room. “Just give me the box. I’ll eat the cardboard.”

      She chuckled and poured a big bowl combining both cereals, then added milk. “Here. What’s Rocky’s mother’s name? I thought I’d take a bag of groceries over tomorrow.”

      “Maria, and she’d really appreciate it. They’ve got a few things to tide them over. Stuff I bought a few days ago.” Glancing at Senada, he recalled his conversation earlier that day with Lisa and fished the photos out of his shirt pocket. “Take a look at the triplets. I swear, those babies change every day.”

      Senada reached for the pictures and smiled. “They’re adorable. Oh, and Lisa cut her hair.” She squinted her eyes. “Is Brick losing his?”

      Troy laughed. “No, that’s just a shadow, but I’ll pass on your observation to him. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

      She met his gaze and arched her eyebrow. “He never liked me.”

      “I wouldn’t say that.”

      She shot him a look of disbelief.

      “More terror that you were going to find someone for Lisa before he could get his stuff together.”

      “He almost lost her.”

      “Yeah, but look at ’em now.”

      Senada sat in the chair next to him and shook her head. “It’s hard for me to imagine having a family like yours. I don’t think I could handle it. Do you ever feel stifled?”

      Troy thought about that as he crunched his cereal. “Every once in a while, but we’ve had to hang together during some tough times.” He glanced at her and wondered about the pensive expression on her face. “What about your family?”

      “We’re a lot more independent. My mother died when I was pretty young, and my father and I aren’t close.”

      “So what do you do at Christmas?”

      She tossed him a chiding look. “I’m not alone unless I want to be.”

      He’d bet she wasn’t. Troy allowed his gaze to fall over her again. Her breasts made his hands itch to touch them, her waist was small, her hips slim but well curved. And her legs, well, he thought, looking at the bare tanned limbs,

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