Safe With A Stranger. Linda Conrad

all together in the booth, they’d placed their orders and now had coffee, iced tea and a sippy cup with juice sitting in front of them. It was then he took a moment and really looked across the table—and nearly bit his tongue in half.

      Talk about a babe. He’d only gotten quick glances earlier because they’d been so busy, but this chick was a stunner.

      Just looking at her was way better than eating the dessert he’d ordered and more fulfilling than any booze. Even better than the best barbecue he remembered his grandfather Will serving, the sight of Clare became food for the eyes. And sauce for the soul.

      Her long, lush eyelashes covered clear, whiskey-colored eyes, and her silvery-blond streaked hair hung in a messy waterfall over the delicate curve of her shoulders. There was a tiny mole at the side of her luscious mouth, but it didn’t mar the beauty of porcelain skin.

      She rounded that mouth to say something to her son and the sight of those full, soft lips made him squirm. Whoo baby. For a man who hadn’t cared one whit about sexy females in more years than he’d like to count, Josh was having full-blown wet dreams of her wrapping those lips around a body part of his that was right now sitting up and taking notice.

      Hell.

      “My son’s name is Jimmy and I’m Clare Chandler,” she said and held out her hand across the table.

      He took it briefly. Just long enough to feel an electric shock of warmth running straight to his groin.

      “Josh Ryan.” Jerking back his hand, he noticed his words had been uttered in a much lower tone than normal.

      “Do you live around here?”

      He shook his head. “Don’t live anywhere at the moment. Where’re y’all from? Is that a West Texas drawl I hear?”

      “Born and raised in Midland,” she said and nodded. “But I haven’t lived there for years.”

      It occurred to him then that she must have a husband around somewhere. Had she been his wife, he wouldn’t have let her out of his sight. As for the kid…Well, as much as he didn’t care for kids, and as much trouble as this one seemed, had Jimmy been his son he would’ve never trusted the two of them out alone.

      “Where’s home for you, then? Your husband waiting somewhere that you need to call?”

      She glanced down at the table and then over at Jimmy. It took him a moment to notice, but her son definitely didn’t have her coloring. Between her reaction to his question and the difference in their looks, Josh wondered if she was one of those new age single women who’d adopted a child without benefit of marriage or father.

      “Jimmy’s father and I are divorced. He’s…in Europe. I’m bringing my baby back to the States to live.”

      Josh’s gut was telling him something she’d said was a little off. Maybe a white lie. Whatever it was, he decided he needed to shed himself of these two in a hurry. He was becoming too intrigued by a pair of dewy amber eyes and a baby who reminded him too much of things that couldn’t be.

      They each ate what they’d ordered. She had a chef’s salad, he had coffee with pecan pie and Jimmy had juice, a few bites of his mother’s meat and cheese and enough saltine crackers to build a crumb-filled castle.

      “Hope that’ll hold y’all for a while,” he said. “It’s nearly time to get you two back to the bus station.”

      He’d rather not learn any more about her or hang around her kid any longer than necessary. It was already past time to be on the road again.

      “Yes, I agree. Those two goons should’ve given up and left by now.” She began packing up Jimmy’s things. “Our bus leaves in a half hour.”

      They made their way back to the truck and he settled them in before he climbed behind the wheel again. On the way back he kept sneaking looks at her when she wasn’t paying attention.

      She was a stunner, all right. With neat khaki pants, a formfitting brownish-colored top and a light suede jacket, her curves weren’t obnoxious or too obvious. But they were definitely in all the right places. The gaze from her bright eyes darted down to Jimmy and then back out the windshield, always checking. And that danged silken strand of blond hair still dangled over one of her shoulders as if it was just begging to be played with.

      Something nagged at him. Though her clothes weren’t overtly expensive and her manner wasn’t snooty, Clare just seemed to ooze sophistication. She had a worldly character about her.

      So what was she doing taking a bus? And what had those two suits really wanted with her and the kid?

      Stuff those thoughts. He didn’t want to get any more involved than he’d already become. All he wanted was to get the both of them on their way and then wash his hands of the whole damn puzzle.

      Josh drove around the bus station twice, trying to be sure the suits weren’t still hanging around outside. He spotted Clare’s bus parked at an outdoor gate, already loading and with a long line of passengers waiting to climb on. The two of them wouldn’t even have to walk through the station to board.

      “I’m not going to get out,” he told her as he idled by the curb. “I’ll just drop y’all off. You’ll be okay, right?”

      He couldn’t wait until she got out of his truck. The sexy vibes she’d been throwing off were a distraction, and he needed that about as much as another hole in the head.

      She nodded as she unbuckled and prepared herself and her son to go. “Sure. We really have to thank you again for all you did for us. I don’t think we would’ve made it without you, and I wish there was something more I could do to say thanks.”

      The various ways he could think of were not suitable to say aloud to a near stranger. “No problem. Take care of yourself and Jimmy, ya hear?”

      Josh watched as she carried the toddler to the end of the line. She looked vulnerable. Vulnerable, worldly and sexy. What a strange combination. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone like that before in his entire life.

      While he sat in the pickup with his tongue hanging out and watched as her line inched toward the bus door, two dark figures came out of nowhere and grabbed her and Jimmy. The same two dudes who’d tried and failed at the roadhouse. Ah, hell!

      He was out of the truck in an instant.

      Chapter 2

      Running full out, Josh reached them in time to lunge at one of the bad guys. That one took a swing and caught Josh hard on the chin, and then the same dude spun, hoisting Jimmy in his arms as he took off.

      “Jimmy!” Clare shouted while fighting the other guy.

      Before Josh could intervene, she stomped her foot on the goon’s instep, shoved her open palm up under his chin and then rammed her knee into his groin. That guy crumbled, and Josh took off after the one with Jimmy.

      Josh caught up to him with no trouble. But slowing the slime-ball down without hurting the kid in his arms was tough. Josh finally had the guy in a choke hold at about the same time as Jimmy started squealing and squirming. The boy wiggled like a greased calf at a fair, which seemed to confuse the goon, who couldn’t hang on to the kid.

      Josh used the opportunity to take his shot, poking his fingers hard into the guy’s eye sockets while jerking Jimmy from his grip with the other hand. Josh didn’t spend time gloating over his handiwork, just tore back toward the bus and Clare with Jimmy thrown over his shoulder.

      “Jimmy, thank heaven,” she sobbed when Josh reached her. Relief and gratitude filled her eyes.

      “Let’s go.” He grabbed her elbow, heading outside.

      “Go where?”

      “Anywhere but here. Get in the truck. Y’all are safer with me than on that danged bus, no matter where we end up.”

      After