And he didn’t mind the fact that the little girls’ friendship gave him the opportunity to spend time with Becs every now and then. In fact, he looked forward to it, although he would never admit that to anyone.
“All right then,” he told her. “Be safe, and I’ll see you when you get up there. I mean,we,” he corrected quickly. “We’ll see all of you.”Ah, Jesus Christ.“We’ll seethe threeof you.”
Her smile widened, and her blue eyes sparkled. “Okay.”
As he turned toward the door, Evan realized there was probably a reason he hadn’t found an interest in another woman since his wife died: he was utterly clueless as to how to talk to one.
***
Becs pretended to stare at her computerwhile she snuck a glance at Luca watching Evan walk toward the door. It was risky because everyone in the room had been so focused on the fact that her daughter and Evan’s had become close friends.
She knew what they were thinking, but they were wrong. She wasn’t having some torrid love affair with Evan, although she got the feeling he might like her. Then again, it could just be he was awkward around women—in a charming way, she doubted he even realized—and simply didn’t know how to express himself.
It was cute, she had to admit. He was the sort of man who genuinely cared about someone’s well-being, even if he made an effort to keep everyone at arm’s length.
As she was thinking about him, her gaze shifted to him as he opened the door to leave. It was then she saw him glance back at her briefly, but the moment he noticed her watching him, he looked away.
Yeah, he was cute, although she doubted he’d be happy to hear her use such a juvenile adjective to describe him.
Evan Vaughn was such a sweet man, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. There was a hint of insecurity beneath the smooth, clean top layer that he covered up with a gruffness that seemed second nature. If she was being honest, he was attractive, in a fierce, alpha male kind of way. But he didn’t do it for her the way some men did. Men like Luca Switzer. She’d always been attracted to the rough-around-the-edges cowboy types, and Luca certainly fit the bill. With his backward ball cap and a body packed with muscle, he played a starring role in her darkest fantasies.
He wore T-shirts and jeans that showcased his hard body while Evan wore remnants of his former life—cheap suits that didn’t quite fit him but did an excellent job of concealing the dad bod beneath. In fact, his wardrobe was so bland and unflattering, she wasn’t even sure if he had any muscle whatsoever.
Unlike Luca, whose arms and shoulders drew a woman’s eyes when the muscles bunched and flexed. For a computer geek who spent most of his time in a chair, he was getting his exercise somehow.
Becs knew her infatuation with Luca would never go anywhere, but she was okay with that. It was safer that way. Luca Switzer was far too much like her ex-husband—flirtatious, fun, and, yes, hot in a way that made her think of wickedly intense orgasms. However, like her ex-husband, she got the impression Luca wasn’t the type who liked to stand by his commitments, especially to women, so she was keeping her distance, settling for fantasizing about him late at night when she was alone.
She fought the urge to fan herself and peered back down at her computer. She fired off the email she’d been working on, then got to her feet. She needed to run home, pack her things, and get Carly ready to go to Evan’s. Her daughter was going to be over the moon with joy that she got to spend a couple of extra days with Sophia, but Becs had to admit, she was missing her already. It wasn’t easy to be away from Carly, but she’d known when she took this job that there would be some travel involved, so she was learning to deal with it.
After all, she’d finally found a job she loved, something she was good at. And most importantly, something she actually looked forward to each day.
***
“You sure you wanna go up there?” Baz asked JJ when he finally managed to get her in the car so they could go home to pack their things for the trip. She’d already jumped right into searching for Toby Land despite her initial hesitations. Admittedly, he loved that about her. The fact that she had self-doubts but pushed through them regardless of the situation. However, once she set her mind to something, getting her to do anything else required effort and a significant amount of patience.
“Of course.” She glanced over at him, her expression concerned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I just wanna make sure you’re comfortable. It’s a three-hour drive.”
“I’m pregnant, Baz, not an invalid.”
His eyes widened. “I wasn’t insinuating—”
JJ reached for his hand, curling her fingers over it. “I’m teasin’ you, Detective.”
He let out a breath and focused on the road. “Just promise you’ll tell me if you wanna stop.”
“I do wanna stop at Buckee’s,” she informed him. “It’s my goal to stop there at least once every trip.”
Now he was shaking his head, his worry vanishing. Something about this morning’s conversation with Brantley and Reese had made his nerves riot. He figured it had to do with the last time they’d gone to Dallas with Reese. The man had gone and gotten himself shot, and they’d all returned to Coyote Ridge with one less team member. It hadn’t sat well with Baz, and he wanted to avoid a repeat.
“You know they’re fine, right?” JJ said softly, her hand gently squeezing his.
He frowned, glancing over at her quickly. “What?”
“Brantley and Reese,” she clarified. “They’re solid. You don’t have to worry about them.”
“Who said I was worried?”
