Read Online Cowboy Crushin' (Dalton Boys Book 3) by Em Petrova - Free Book Online

butter but she didn’t like those results as well.
    “Penuche fudge.”
    “I’ve never heard of it.”
    “You’re missing out, girl! The recipe has been in my family for forty years. My grandmother taught me how to make it. A lot of folks around here remember that old-fashioned fudge.”
    Shelby looked up at the far table where Witt was playing a game of checkers with Alex. He dropped her a wink, sending warmth into her system.
    Nell followed Shelby’s line of sight. “Witt knows penuche fudge, don’t you? Your momma probably makes it.”
    “Yes’m.”
    His hat was pushed back, the white brim a bit grubbier than usual. Actually it looked as if it might have landed in the mud and been brushed off.
    “Penuche is a combination of sugars and corn syrup but you add vanilla and walnuts.”
    “Sounds delicious.”
    “It is. You’d better write down this recipe. You need this fudge in your case. Trust me—I know what I’m talking about.”
    “Okay.” She grabbed a notecard and wrote out the recipe per Nell’s instructions. Then the woman told her how to arrange the case with the pastries on the top shelf to tantalize the customers so they sold more before they got stale.
    While she pulled out trays and reorganized, she felt Witt’s eyes roaming over her. Since the beginning of the week when she’d confided her past to him, he’d been quieter. She had no idea what that meant, but he was still coming into her shop to spend the afternoons with her and Alex.
    “Shelby, come look at this too. I think we need to change…”
    She gave up on the case and followed Nell’s new whim. By the time she hung up her apron and left with Witt and Alex, she was exhausted. Nell had agreed to close shop today.
    Witt offered her that smile—the toe-curling, panty-melting, crooked one. They went out and got into his truck. “Momma’s looking forward to you two coming for dinner. She’s gone all-out with barbecue pork.”
    From the back seat, Alex sucked in a breath. “Does that mean you killed one of the pigs?”
    “Not the pigs you know. This was last year’s hog, and not a baby. It weighed nine-hundred pounds when we butchered him.” Witt waggled his eyebrows at Alex in the rearview mirror.
    Shelby watched the small town fall away and focused on the countryside. Grasses swaying in the breeze, fields dotted with cattle. The tension tugging at her temples started to ease.
    Witt reached across the console and scooped her hand into his big one. When he chafed his rough fingertip over the back of her hand, her body responded—an invisible string pulled tight in her nipples and pussy. She clamped her thighs together for the rest of the drive.
    Then her cell buzzed with a new message and she spent several minutes trying to get rid of Jeff. After that Witt kept his hands on the wheel and she folded hers in her lap.
    The Daltons’ house was bursting with family as usual. Shelby was immediately drawn into a conversation with Maggie and Charlotte about clothing. As she agreed with Charlotte about a certain department store’s selection of kids’ items, she looked up to find Witt’s gaze on her.
    Heavy, concerned.
    All through dinner he was silent, though he was attentive to her and Alex, refilling her son’s plate with second helpings and passing her the butter before she had to ask.
    “Son, after you take Shelby and Alex home later, we need your help,” Mr. Dalton said.
    “Sure.”
    “He’ll forget. Witt’s too distracted lately,” Beck grumbled.
    Shelby stopped mid-bite. Did they mean he was neglecting his duties because of her?
    Of course he is, dummy. He’s not on the ranch—he’s down in Vixen with me.
    She didn’t look up from her plate, too worried about the number of blue eyes that must be fixed on her right now.
    “I’ll be here.” Witt’s voice seemed more gravelly. She stole a peek at his profile to find his lips set into a hard line.
    After dinner she rushed to help clean up. Then she went outside to