Read Come and Get It for Free Online

leave it be, Bennett. Promise me?”
    Bennett gave her a terse nod. “I’m
burnin’ daylight and the chores won’t do themselves.”
    Dixie watched her brother push through
the screen door and disappear down the path to the barn. She turned
to her companions and sighed. “That went well, dontcha think?” When
they all dissolved into boisterous laughter, Dixie dropped into a
chair and laughed till she wept.

Chapter Four
     
     
    Things started going badly for Quin
after leaving Dixie’s house that morning. After spending the night
in her bed, he concluded there was a lot to recommend a sex-starved
widow. She’d wear him out, then twenty minutes later they’d be at
it again. Tired as he was, he couldn’t help his disappointment that
he wouldn’t be seeing her tonight. He’d left her freaking out that
people knew he’d slept over, and had driven out to the job site to
check on the changes the developer wanted. A quick walk-through
showed nothing amiss. He nodded to the few men who had opted to
work the weekend, taking the time to compliment them on their
skill. They mumbled their thanks but didn’t look him in the eye.
Outsiders were looked on with suspicion, so he didn’t take it
personally. While doing his inspection, he overheard two of the men
talking about a bachelorette party at a bar called the Stumble Inn.
Rose would be at that party tonight and he decided to make a point
of showing up, too.
    In hindsight, there was nothing
unusual about his truck when he hit the remote to unlock the door.
The lights flashed, the horn tooted, but when he reached for the
door handle his fingers slid into something gooey and
foul-smelling.
    “ Aw, goddamn!” Quin cursed.
He looked around but didn’t see anyone nearby, and none of the
workers were rolling on the ground laughing. He shook his hand in
an attempt to dislodge dog shit from his fingers, spattering it on
his clothes and shoes. “Nice. Real funny, guys!” Thank God he
carried a carton of wet wipes in his truck. He set about cleaning
the crap out from under his door handle, his fingernails, his
clothes. Jesus H Christ.
    Quin knew it had to be more than just
his personal demeanor that had pissed somebody off when he went
back out to his truck after showering. Someone had let the air out
of all four tires. He dropped his chin to his chest and took a deep
breath.
    It had to be Dixie. Or rather the men
in her life. Quin didn’t believe for a minute that she would stoop
to such juvenile pranks. No, she would come right out and say what
was on her mind. Like she had the other morning when she told him
he was just a pleasant distraction, nothing less, nothing
more.
    Dixie’s bald statement hadn’t sat well
with him and he decided to pull it out and examine it while he
waited on the tow truck. What did he know about Dixie Rose Bonifay?
Well, he knew most of the single men, and a good portion of the
married ones, were half in love with her, and every one of them
felt compelled to defend the honor of one of their own. They were
going to save her from the big bad city boy.
    The next thing he knew was that she
hadn’t liked the idea of people seeing them together, whether at
the restaurant or leaving her home early in the morning. Hence, she
was not in the habit of fooling around with just any man, a fact
he’d deduced that first day they’d baked cookies. Add to that the
fact that her pussy had been so tight he’d had to take his time
entering her, and it was simple to deduce that he was likely the
first man she’d slept with since her husband died. He wasn’t sure
how he felt about what it might mean.
    Lastly, she’d liked what he’d done to
her. Hell, she more than liked it. She howled and carried on like a
cat in heat. Of course, good sex was supposed to be like that.
Still, knowing what he knew about her, the logical assumption was
that she cared more than she wanted to admit.
    Quin leaned against his truck, hands
in his pockets. The idea that Dixie cared