Love, Diamonds, and Spades (Cactus Creek #2)(15)

Not that it wasn’t for a good cause. Since his neighbor’s shift at the diner had turned into a double-shift when one of the other waitresses called in sick, she’d called Rylan in a panic and he’d reassured her that her afterschool sitter could drop Reese off at his place this evening.

So, instead of stopping off at Desert Confections to bug Quinn, he was having a little cook-out with Reese in the backyard.

It was a little disconcerting how much he was affected by not having his little daily Quinn fix. Almost like…

No. He wasn’t going to make a comparison between his very platonic friendship with Quinn—his feelings aside, of course—and his unhealthy relationship with Lacey.

Therein lay the path to insanity, for sure.

Thankfully, Reese was a hilarious little kid who was serving as the very best distraction.

So this was good. Probably all for the best. Maybe this was all meant for him to be able to wean off this strange need to see and talk to Quinn every day—get her out of his system.

“Rylan?”

Or maybe not.

Clearly he had it bad. Now he was even hearing the woman’s sexy voice in his head.

“Rylan, are you back here?”

Holy shit. Rylan jogged over to the side gate and devoured the sight before his eyes.

His little hellcat was standing on his driveway.

Sure, it’s not like he’d just discovered penicillin or nothing but hell’s bells, finding her on his driveway sure did feel like some kind of miracle.

Quinn on his driveway.

Quinn here to see him.

Quinn nervously here on his driveway to see him, and biting her lip as a result.

That last one had the biggest effect on him…which would soon be a noticeable effect if he didn’t get a grip. Silently counting back from a thousand, he unlocked the gate to let her in.

“What are you doing here, sunshine?” Nice. Impressive voice control there, Grey.

“Here.” Quinn took a few steps forward and thrust a piece of paper at his chest.

It really shouldn’t feel this good just to have her fingers brushing over his sternum. With considerable effort, he doused the resulting thoughts of her hands touching him elsewhere.

“What’s this?” his voice sounded rough and shot to hell but there was little he could do about that.

Nine hundred eighty-three, nine hundred eighty-two…

“It’s my number,” replied Quinn, looking down at the ground to step over the treacherous two pebbles in her path that were requiring all her focus to avoid. “I wrote down my number so you don’t have to get Dani to relay me a message. I don’t know if I can handle another one of her interrogations about my love life.”

“Ah,” he grinned, pocketing the number. “Good call.” He’d only mentioned to Dani to let Quinn know that he was doing a favor for his neighbor this afternoon, if Quinn happened to ask where he was. Not that he’d expected Quinn to ask, but…just in case.

“That was nice of you,” continued Quinn awkwardly, interrupting his ponderings. “To let me know you weren’t coming by, I mean. Not about the whole siccing Dani on me part. I would’ve waited…and worried. That you got into an accident or gotten amnesia. Or suddenly acquired a non-aggravating personality transplant that you were selfishly going to withhold from me meeting.”

He let out a sharp bark of laughter. His feisty little hellcat was so damn entertaining. He never knew what was going to come out of her mouth, or what new way she was going to find to bust his chops.

Just as she was starting to relax and almost crack a rare smile, a small body leapt out at her with a loud, “Boo!”

Quinn jumped back, startled, and Reese fell back onto his heels in peals of laughter.

Rylan picked Reese up and threw him over his shoulder. “Sorry about that. This is Reese. He’s seven; no other excuses for his behavior but that. He and his mom are my neighbors, and I watch him sometimes when her shifts at the diner put her in a bind.”

Quinn tilted her head to the side and smiled at the upside-down Reese.

“Reese, this is Quinn. Quinn, meet my neighbor Reese.”

“Hey Reese.”

“Oh! I know who you are!” exclaimed Reese. “Everyone in town says Rylan loves y—” Reese screeched out, and then giggled with glee as Rylan flipped him around like a baton.

Planting him gently back on his feet, Rylan pointedly glanced at his watch. “I’ll give you a two-minute head start this time,” he declared.

Reese scampered away to find a hiding spot.

“Sorry about that. We were playing hide and seek before you came.” Rylan rocked back on his feet. “You want to hang out with us by the fire pit for a bit? I have bratwursts and hot dogs on the sticks, and veggies on the grill grate. Plenty of food. You can wrap some up for you and Cooper to eat tonight.”

The timer on his watch beeped and he called out, “Ready or not!”

“I’ll be right back.” He nodded over at the fire pit. “Meet you over there in a few?”



*



QUINN WASN’T SURE why she liked it that Rylan pretty much maneuvered her right on over to the fire, but she did. He just didn’t talk to her the way other men did.

He sure didn’t act like them either.

No other guy she’d ever dated would be running around the yard right now chasing someone else’s shrieking kid in circles while she was standing there watching.