from?”
Toni’s first reaction was to dodge his questions. One always
led to too many, which she wouldn’t be willing to answer. And yet, something
inside urged her to respond truthfully, to share a bit of her history with him,
as though they did live here together, as if she weren’t a barely invited
guest.
“I’d never run from Lucky or Belle.”
Curiosity shone in Zach’s eyes. “Belle?”
“My people. My family,” Toni added with a gentle shrug.
“Your mom and dad?” he asked, obviously confused.
“Here.” She slipped her fingers beneath her tank top and
into her bra cup.
* * * * *
Zach stared, uncertain as to what she was doing.
Before he could think to ask, she pulled out a small
rectangle of laminated paper, the size of a drivers’ license, and offered it to
him.
The fragrance of her freshly washed hair—lavender like her
cologne—and her clean, soapy skin surrounded and embraced him.
Locking his knees to keep steady, ignoring the pain it
caused his leg, he took the item from her. Her body heat had warmed the
plastic. Zach fought an insane urge to press it to his nose to see if it also
bore her scent. Gaze lowered, he saw it was a picture of a man and woman, arms
draped around each other’s waists. Zach guessed them to be in their early
fifties.
The man—surely Lucky—had long brown hair streaked with gray
that he wore in braids, ala Willie Nelson. Belle’s auburn hair hung over her
right shoulder, the ends reaching her waist. Her lingering beauty told Zach she
must have been a knockout when she was young. With a muscular build and a broad
smile, Lucky was still a handsome man.
Both of them wore turquoise-and-silver Indian jewelry. They
stood in front of a group of motorcycles. Behind them, the storefront sign read
Starr’s Shop.
Zach’s gaze jumped from the picture to Toni and back again.
Not seeing any resemblance between her and them despite the same last name,
which was apparently real, he asked once more, “Your parents?”
“My family.” Toni reached for the photo. “I adopted them.”
With that strange answer, he looked at her. “You mean they
adopted you?”
Not answering, as he kept failing to answer her personal
questions, Toni took the picture from him.
Zach wondered what kind of loneliness would cause a woman to
carry a photo close to her heart of two people who weren’t even related to her.
“Where are they? Where do they live?”
Toni slipped the picture back into her bra, adjusting the
edge of her tank top. “Arkansas.”
He’d expected her to say Texas. On her job app, she’d listed
a town he’d never heard of and general delivery as her home address. “If
they’re in Arkansas with their own shop, what are you doing in Arizona looking
for work?”
Backing away, Toni went to the edge of the pool, regarding
the gently lapping water. “Mind if I put my feet in it?”
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
She kicked off her flip-flops and sank to her ass, dangling
her legs in the water. With her hands on either side of her body, bracing her
torso, she lifted her chin toward the sky, letting her head loll on her
shoulders. “Nice.”
The purr of her throaty voice drove away Zach’s next
questions. Desire licked his groin, scattering his thoughts, until a rush of
air brought the scent of smoking charcoal to him. Remembering their meal, he
placed the already baked potatoes on the grill to heat them up. Reaching for
the corn, he studied Toni’s narrow back, her blue-black hair. Still damp from
her shower, it clung to her pale neck.
“It’s new,” she said.
Not following, Zach shook his head. “What’s new?”
“Belle and Lucky’s shop.” She spoke on a sigh, her voice
relaxed, throaty, sensuous. “They can barely pay themselves, much less me.” She
lifted her right leg out of the water.
Zach stared at the droplets sparkling on her narrow foot and
slender toes. His quick hard-on became painful at the sight of her polished
toenails and that
Toni’s first reaction was to dodge his questions. One always
led to too many, which she wouldn’t be willing to answer. And yet, something
inside urged her to respond truthfully, to share a bit of her history with him,
as though they did live here together, as if she weren’t a barely invited
guest.
“I’d never run from Lucky or Belle.”
Curiosity shone in Zach’s eyes. “Belle?”
“My people. My family,” Toni added with a gentle shrug.
“Your mom and dad?” he asked, obviously confused.
“Here.” She slipped her fingers beneath her tank top and
into her bra cup.
* * * * *
Zach stared, uncertain as to what she was doing.
Before he could think to ask, she pulled out a small
rectangle of laminated paper, the size of a drivers’ license, and offered it to
him.
The fragrance of her freshly washed hair—lavender like her
cologne—and her clean, soapy skin surrounded and embraced him.
Locking his knees to keep steady, ignoring the pain it
caused his leg, he took the item from her. Her body heat had warmed the
plastic. Zach fought an insane urge to press it to his nose to see if it also
bore her scent. Gaze lowered, he saw it was a picture of a man and woman, arms
draped around each other’s waists. Zach guessed them to be in their early
fifties.
The man—surely Lucky—had long brown hair streaked with gray
that he wore in braids, ala Willie Nelson. Belle’s auburn hair hung over her
right shoulder, the ends reaching her waist. Her lingering beauty told Zach she
must have been a knockout when she was young. With a muscular build and a broad
smile, Lucky was still a handsome man.
Both of them wore turquoise-and-silver Indian jewelry. They
stood in front of a group of motorcycles. Behind them, the storefront sign read
Starr’s Shop.
Zach’s gaze jumped from the picture to Toni and back again.
Not seeing any resemblance between her and them despite the same last name,
which was apparently real, he asked once more, “Your parents?”
“My family.” Toni reached for the photo. “I adopted them.”
With that strange answer, he looked at her. “You mean they
adopted you?”
Not answering, as he kept failing to answer her personal
questions, Toni took the picture from him.
Zach wondered what kind of loneliness would cause a woman to
carry a photo close to her heart of two people who weren’t even related to her.
“Where are they? Where do they live?”
Toni slipped the picture back into her bra, adjusting the
edge of her tank top. “Arkansas.”
He’d expected her to say Texas. On her job app, she’d listed
a town he’d never heard of and general delivery as her home address. “If
they’re in Arkansas with their own shop, what are you doing in Arizona looking
for work?”
Backing away, Toni went to the edge of the pool, regarding
the gently lapping water. “Mind if I put my feet in it?”
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
She kicked off her flip-flops and sank to her ass, dangling
her legs in the water. With her hands on either side of her body, bracing her
torso, she lifted her chin toward the sky, letting her head loll on her
shoulders. “Nice.”
The purr of her throaty voice drove away Zach’s next
questions. Desire licked his groin, scattering his thoughts, until a rush of
air brought the scent of smoking charcoal to him. Remembering their meal, he
placed the already baked potatoes on the grill to heat them up. Reaching for
the corn, he studied Toni’s narrow back, her blue-black hair. Still damp from
her shower, it clung to her pale neck.
“It’s new,” she said.
Not following, Zach shook his head. “What’s new?”
“Belle and Lucky’s shop.” She spoke on a sigh, her voice
relaxed, throaty, sensuous. “They can barely pay themselves, much less me.” She
lifted her right leg out of the water.
Zach stared at the droplets sparkling on her narrow foot and
slender toes. His quick hard-on became painful at the sight of her polished
toenails and that
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