Luring Levi (Tarnished Saints Series Book 2) (4 page)

“That’s right, I’m a mother now of two wonderful children,” she told him.

Just at that moment, Vance decided to bite Valentine on the arm and she shrieked and started bawling loudly.

“What the hell?” growled Levi, holding a hand to his head.

“What the hell, what the hell, what the hell,” Vance kept repeating over and over.

“Get in the damned car,” he told her
, “and let’s go. I can’t take any more of this noise.”

“Damned car,” Vance shouted into his sister’s ear. It only made her shriek louder.

“If you want to talk about noise, then I’ll mention the fact I don’t want you playing the radio so loud with my kids in the car. As a matter of fact, please don’t put it on at all.”

“Whatever. Let’s go.”

“Valentine, you sit in the back with me,” Candace said, grabbing her crying daughter and fastening her into the seatbelt. Then she reached out and fastened Vance in as well.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are you getting in the car?” he growled, revving the engine and turning on the radio, obviously trying to drown out the crying
and not caring that she’d said she didn’t want him to turn it on at all.

She got in the back, reaching over to close the door and he hit the gas, causing her to fall back
ward onto the seat.

“Hold on, I don’t have my seatbelt on yet,” she told him.

“No one wears seatbelts in Sweet Water. No need to. We’re out in the middle of the nowhere.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to get a ticket and wind up in jail – again,” she told him, just to let him know she knew about his tarnished past.

“That’s not going to happen,” he said, speeding over a paved road and making a sharp turn down a gravel road, billowing up dust all around them. “After all, this town doesn’t even have a sheriff right now, as he resides behind bars.”

“Yeah, well, you’
d know about that,” she mumbled. By the way his eyes shot up to the rear view mirror to look at her, she knew he’d heard her.

“Besides,” he told her,
“they would never arrest me for not using seatbelts or even speeding.”

“And what makes you think that
you are so special, Mr. Taylor?”

He looked
into the rear view mirror again, right at her, the intensity of his bright blue eyes making her insides quiver. She licked her lips nervously and looked the other way.

“I am special
,” he answered with confidence and also pride. “Because you see, Ms. Kane, as of today, I’m Sweet Water’s new mayor.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she told him, “because I’m no longer that sweet and naïve
young girl I was last time you saw me. I’ve learned to be able to tell when a man is giving me a line, and I can see right through you, Levi Taylor. I know the mayor of Sweet Water because I talked with her on the phone, and she is a very nice little old lady.”

“Well then
, you better get those glasses checked because you obviously can’t see the broad side of a barn. I’m not lying to you, sweetheart, I really am Sweet Water’s mayor.”

“Just drive,” she said, holding
her daughter to her chest as the little girl continued to cry. How stupid did the man think she was? Who in their right mind would even consider electing an ex-con to be their mayor?

* * *

Levi pulled up to the cabin and shut off the motor, jumping from the car as fast as he could to get away from the misbehaved, noisy kids. He thought when he came back to Sweet Water he’d be able to start a new life. But now his past and all her baggage were following him. He had no idea he’d be picking up a woman he’d bedded seven years ago who was coming to his town – his brother’s cabin – to spend not a week or two as Thomas had said, but what sounded like possibly the entire summer.

He raked his fingers through his hair as he made his way to the trunk to get her luggage. He glanced over, watching her help her children out of their seat belts, bent over, giving him a view down her sun top as well as a great view of her tight, well-rounded ass. He remembered exactly what she looked like under those clothes, and he was getting hard just thinking about it.

He’d thought about her all the time while sitting in his lonely prison cell, as she had left an impression on him that was not only physical but touched him on all levels. She was beautiful, and there was no doubt about it.

Her shoulder-length aubu
rn hair hung straight, down to her shoulders. And he didn’t need to look to remember her hazel eyes that turned light green after they’d made love. They held the intensity of a tiger, yet at the same time the gentleness of one of Thomas’s son Zeke’s little kittens. Fierce yet fragile. Smart, yet naïve. Just the way he liked his women.

Damn, why’d he have to be thinking this way about a married woman?
Then he vaguely remembered Thomas saying she wasn’t married.

“So, where is your husband, Candy?” he asked, fishing for information.

“I’m not married,” she snapped, not bothering to look his way.

He pulled the suitcases from the trunk, seeing Thomas’s kids as well as Angel heading over from the pole barn. Thomas was right behind them.

“Divorced?” he asked, wanting to find out more information before all hell broke loose.

She stood up and looked at him, her eyes narrowing. “Why does it matter?”

“Just curious,” he said, slamming down the lid of the trunk.

“Not that it’s any of your concern, but I’ve never been married.”

“Hi,” Angel called out, hurrying over to greet her. “You must be Candace,” she said.

“Yes, and you must be Angel.
I believe I talked to you as well as your husband on the phone.”

“Mother, I have to go to the bathroom.” Valentine hopped up and down and crossed her legs.

“Come on, sweetie, I’ll take you to the cabin and show you where the bathroom is.” Angel held out her hand. Her eight-year-old daughter, Gabby and her six-year-old son, Eli followed along at her side curiously.

“Boys, get the lady’s l
uggage and take it inside,” Thomas instructed his kids, walking up to join them. “I think you’ll like the cabin,” he said with a nod toward Candace.

“I’ll take this suitcase,
” said Josh, one of Thomas’s nine-year-old twins.

“Jake, help
him with it,” said Thomas, “it looks heavy.”

“You two look like twins,” said Vance, coming forward to meet them. “My sister and I are twins too.”

“Come on, I’ll show you my kittens.” Eleven-year-old Zeke’s red hair shined in the sun as he led the way to the cabin.

“Dan, Sam, get the other two suitcases,” Thomas said.

“Yes, Pa,” said fourteen-year-old Sam, stepping forward even with a bum leg and helping out. Nothing stopped him from keeping up with his brothers.

“How’d the car run
, Uncle Levi?” Dan, Thomas’s oldest son who’d just turned seventeen, stepped forward to get the other suitcase.

“Smooth as a baby’s rear end,” said Levi, tossing the keys to the teenager. “Thanks for the use of your car.”

“Sure thing,” he said, shoving the keys into his pocket. He walked by slowly, inspecting the car on his way to the cabin, obviously afraid that Levi may have done some damage to it.

“Don’t worry, there’s not a scratch on it,” Levi called out.

“So this isn’t your car?” Candace asked him curiously.

“Its my nephew’s car,” he told her. “I don’t own a car.”

“I see.” Then she turned toward Thomas. “Can you tell me where to rent a car while I’m in Sweet Water?” she asked.

Levi and Thomas just looked at each other and smiled.

“Ms. Kane, there is no such thing as a car rental agency in Sweet Water, nor anywhere for fifty miles around. You’re not going to have the luxury of a rental car while you’re here on vacation, I’m sorry to tell you,” Thomas answered.

“Well, what am I to do?” she asked. “I can’t be stranded here
at the lake. I’m going to need to get back and forth to town once the fair starts.”

“Well,” said Thomas, rubbing the back of his neck. “
I can’t offer you Dan’s car cuz that wouldn’t be right. Besides, he starts his job down at the gas station tomorrow and will need it. And Angie needs the SUV as it’s the only vehicle that holds all the kids at once. That’s the whole reason we traded her Windstar to the Ainsleys when we bought their Bed and Breakfast for our new home. There’s my pickup - but I’m going to be needing it, so that’s out. But I just picked up a ’69 Charger convertible you’re welcome to borrow during your stay. I won’t be getting around to fixing it up for a while yet, so you can use it while you’re here. It’s at the station, as Gus owed me an oil change.”

“O
h, yes, that would be wonderful, Mr. Taylor.”

“You know how to drive stick?” Levi asked her, already knowing by the looks of her that she didn’t.

“No,” she shook her head. “I guess that won’t do.”

“Then I guess you’re out of luck,” Levi answered.

“But I can’t be stranded here, I need a car.”

“Then maybe you should have thought of driving here instead of taking the train,” said Levi. She didn’t answer, but he could tell something about that comment bothered her.

“Maybe someone can teach me,” she suggested.

Levi chuckled at the idea.

“Don’t worry,” said Thomas. “While you’re our guest, we’ll see to your hospitality, won’t we Levi?”

“Huh?” Levi looked up
to see Thomas for the second time today throwing a set of cars keys at him. This time, he managed to catch them and save himself from embarrassment. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Th
ose are the keys for the Charger. It’s still rough as I haven’t worked on it yet, but at least you’ll be able to get around.

“Great,” said Levi with a nod of his head. “Thanks, bro.”

“And Ms. Kane,” said Thomas, “my brother would be happy to take you and your kids wherever you need to go, so don’t hesitate to ask. And I’m sure he’d be happy to teach you how to drive stick as well.”

Levi was too shocked to even respond. He should have known there were strings attached to this deal. The last thing he wanted was to be drag
ging Candace and her noisy, whining kids around for the rest of the summer. And there was no way he was going to teach her anything. This was not at all to his liking.

“Dan will give you a ride to the
gas station after we eat,” Thomas told him. Then he turned back to Candace. “My wife is planning a barbeque back at our house and we’re hoping you and your kids will join us.”

“Well, how nice of you,” she said. “We’d love to.” Then she looked over to Levi. “I’ll need a ride to town first thing in the morning so I can talk with Mayor Durnsby about the food judging at the fair.”

“My brother is mayor now,” said Thomas. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“What?” she asked, the look of shock on her face priceless. “S
o you were serious?” she asked Levi.

“Serious as shit,” he said with a grin.

“You don’t look like a mayor nor do you act like one,” she said. “I really can’t believe it.”

“Well, you’d better start trying, Can
dy,” he told her. “And I take my job seriously, so for now on – just call me Mr. Mayor.”

Chapter 4

Levi woke to someone banging on his door. He took a minute to remember where he was, then realized he was in Gus’s store room above Kramer’s Gas Station. He’d been so tired he fell asleep right away after his nephew, Dan, dropped him off here last night. The barbeque had been chaotic with all the kids and all the noise, and Candace had ignored him the entire time. He couldn’t wait for the day to end.

“Levi, wake up!” Gus’s voice came from the other side of the door and the pounding continued.

“What’s a guy got to do to get a little shut eye once in awhile?” grumbled Levi, jumping up from the old mattress thrown directly on the floor and heading for the door. He stepped on something and about twisted his ankle, his bare feet trying to find a path on the floor, but it wasn’t easy. Gus owned the gas station, and by the looks of this room he owned everything else he could get his hands on. The man was just short of being a hoarder.

Boxes lined the walls,
and furniture and old newspapers and magazines filled the room. There was a dusty old lace bedspread thrown over the back of a paint-peeled rocking chair that was overflowing with clothes of some sort.

Several large framed oil paintings were stacked up in the corner and broken toys and even a bike with a bent wheel filled the room. Empty glass canning jars were spilling out of a tipped old trunk and the lids were rusty and bent. An old coat tree
stood in the corner with ropes and men’s ties and suspenders hanging from it. There were so many things stacked up and crammed into the small space that he couldn’t even see light coming through the room’s only window. This wasn’t a place suitable for anyone to stay unless maybe a roach or a rat.