3. Gianna

CHAPTER 3

I'm staring at the cowboy next to me so hard that I almost miss the woman with a baby on her hip and two children standing on the porch. It's like a kick to the gut, and shame fills me. Damn, after the thoughts I've been having these last five miles, I can't even look the woman in the face when I get out. If only she knew what I was thinking about her husband. Hell, I feel guilty, and even though nothing happened, I still feel like I've done something wrong.

Luckily, I don't have to face her because the two boys—twins—run down to meet me, and the one starts asking a thousand questions. "Who are you? What are you doing here? How do you know my dad? Are you staying?"

The other boy grabs on to my hand and doesn't let go.

I squat down to look at them. "My name is Gianna, but my friends call me Gia. Wow, you two are big boys. How old are you?"

"Five," the one says excitedly. He points at himself and then his brother. "I'm Evan, and this is Ethan. We're twins, and we're on summer break. Next week we start camp. It's not an overnight camp because Dad would miss us, but we go five days a week and come home every night. We're going swimming, to the park, riding horses and…" He gets so excited he starts to jump up and down, and I laugh, pulling both boys in for a hug. Their happiness is contagious.

"Wow, it sounds like you're going to have a great summer. Are you excited too?" I ask the quiet one.

He just nods his head, smiling.

I grab both the boys' hands, and as I go to stand back up, I notice that Dalton and the woman are both staring at me. Almost as if they're in awe or something. Dalton clears his throat and looks at the other woman. "Thanks again, Maddie, for watching the boys."

Wait. Watching the boys? I look between Dalton and the woman… so this isn't his wife? Before I can say anything, the woman nods, waving him off. "It was no problem." She comes down the steps toward me. "I'm Maddie, and this little guy is RJ. We live two ranches down. I know you."

My mouth falls open, and I look at her. I've started to get accustomed to being recognized, but I never know how it's going to go. People either hate what I do or they love it, but hopefully by the way Maddie is looking at me, it's the latter. She moves her son to her other hip. "You're the romance blogger." She snaps her fingers together. "Find me a Book Boyfriend."

I laugh. "Yep, that's me."

I can feel Dalton staring at me, but I stay focused on Maddie as she continues, "You introduced me to some of my favorite romance books. If you talk about it, I love it."

I laugh. "Well, that's great. I'm always happy to share."

She lifts the baby in her arms. "I wish I could stay and chat, but I really need to go. I'll be seeing you soon."

Before I can tell her I won't be staying, she's walking away, and Dalton is helping her take her things to her car.

The boys are pulling me toward the house, and I follow them inside. When Dalton comes in, he's talking on the phone, and with a frustrated grunt, he hangs up. "I need to go and check on a bull, and then I'll get you into town. Boys, let's go."

Evan stands up from where we're sitting on the living room floor. "We're going to stay here with Gia."

Dalton is watching me and seems surprised that his son Ethan is practically sitting on my lap with his arms looped around my neck. After a few seconds go by, Dalton shakes his head. "I'm sorry, what do you do for a living?"

I can feel heat flood my face. "I'm a social media influencer. I read books and talk about them online."

He nods like he gets it, but I'm not sure he does. I loop an arm around Ethan's waist, and he sinks into me. "I don't mind staying here with them."

Indecision fills Dalton's face, but with the way Evan begs and the pleading look from Ethan has him rubbing his chin. "I'm sorry, but—"

I wave him off. "It's fine. I don't mind hanging with the boys while you go do… whatever you gotta do."

He doesn't smile; he just stands over us. "Do you think you can walk with me out to the porch for a minute?"

I nod my head, and as I extricate myself from the boys' hold, I explain to them that I'll be right back. "Think of something you want to do when I get back."

Dalton waits for me and falls into step behind me as I walk out onto the porch. He's quiet as he stares down at me. And he does it for so long, I start to get self-conscious. "Do I have something on my face?"

I wipe across my cheek, and he shakes his head. "No." He exhales loudly. "I never leave my kids with a stranger."

I don't take any offense. "I get it. I would never hurt a kid." I laugh when I realize what I just said. "I mean, I wouldn't hurt anyone."

He nods but still seems unsure. "Look, uh, Evan will talk your ear off. Ethan doesn't talk at all."

"Is he okay?"

Dalton takes his hat off and runs his hands through his thick hair. "Yeah, he is… or he will be. We're fine."

I cross my arms over my chest to stop myself from reaching for him. There's something about him that makes me want to reach for him and hold on to him. I have so many questions, one being where Evan and Ethan's mom is, but I don't feel right asking. Not right now, anyway. "I'm happy to hang out with your boys until you get back."

He blows out a breath. "Okay. Thank you. I won't be gone long, and then we'll get you into town."

I watch as he descends the steps, and I want to go after him, but Evan starts calling my name, and I walk inside instead. I'm one of those people that believe things happen for a reason, and I'm starting to believe that I'm here for something. I'm just not sure what that is.