V Card Sweetheart (Sweetheart Colorado) Read online

  Dutton

  I’m flying down Interstate 40 in Tennessee when I get the call. It’s Alice, and as soon as I see her name on the caller ID, I know there’s something wrong. I gave my number to her months ago, but she’s never used it. Not until now.

  “Is Jane okay?” I bark into the phone as soon as I push the answer button.

  “Well, hello to you too,” Alice replies with snark.

  I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. Surely if there was something wrong, Alice wouldn’t sound as calm. “Hello, Alice. Is Jane okay?” I ask her again.

  “Yes, but you may want to start heading back toward Sweetheart.”

  She says it so nonchalantly and already I’m looking for the next exit to turn around. I may be nineteen hours from Colorado and carrying a load that needs to go in the opposite direction, but I don’t care. Not if Jane needs me.

  “I’m on my way. What’s up?”

  I hear a whistle in the phone, and Alice takes a deep breath. “What is it?” I ask again as bile starts to rise in my throat. There’s a thousand thoughts going through my head, and I don’t want to focus on any of them. I just want Alice to tell me what the fuck is going on.

  I take the ramp, probably a little too fast as my tires skid across the concrete. I slow down, knowing I’m not going to be doing Jane any good if I kill myself before I get to her.

  “Jane is going on a date.”

  My stomach drops, and I clench onto the steering wheel until my knuckles are white. “What the fuck…”

  “Now, Dutton, I told you that eventually she was going to say yes. He asked her out today and they’re going out tomorrow afternoon.”

  “No, they’re not.” I say between gritted teeth. “She’s mine.”

  Alice laughs. She fuckin’ laughs, and I swear if she was a man I would have a few choice words for her right now. “I’m not fuckin’ around, Alice.”

  “Yeah, well, while you’ve been traveling the country, Jane has been here, by herself. You can’t blame her for going out on a date. She doesn’t have a clue how you feel about her.”

  “I’m going to fix that. I’m on my way.”

  I hit end on my phone. I probably should have at least thanked her for calling, but I’ll do that tomorrow. Right now, I don’t want to think about anything except getting back to Sweetheart and claiming Jane as mine. Because whether she knows it or not, she’s mine.

  3

  Dutton

  I drove all night. Broke every rule and law of driving cross country, but there’s no way I was going to stop and rest. Fuck that. I’ll rest when I can have Jane in my bed with me. I stopped outside of Steamsprings to drop off my load with one of my drivers. It’s going to be late, but I don’t care. Nothing matters except me getting here.

  I walk into The Stop and look around. Cheryl is working, and I dismiss her with a look. She’s a huge flirt but I don’t want anything to do with her. When I spot Alice behind the counter, I pounce toward her. “Thanks for calling me.”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “I only did it because I think Jane needs you in her life. I did it for her.”

  I let out a breath at her words. She may have said it, but I feel the same way. Jane needs me and I need her. “Where is she?”

  Alice is wrapping silverware and avoiding my eyes. “You’re too late. He picked her up”—he looks up at the clock—“around fifteen minutes ago.”

  I grab on to the countertop. “Did he pick her up here?”

  She shakes her head, and I can tell she doesn’t want to answer. “No, at her apartment.”

  “Fuck.” I shove my hand through my hair. “Where were they going?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Alice, don’t mess with me right now, I’m barely hanging on.”

  And then she looks at me and I see the sincerity in her eyes. “I’m not messing with you. She didn’t know where they were going.”

  I slap my hand on the counter. “Fine. Call me if you hear from her.”

  I turn to go, but Alice stops me. “Where are you going?”

  With my hand on the door, I answer her. “Sweetheart is a small town. I’ll just go to every restaurant until I find her.”

  I push open the door and stop in my tracks. Jane and some young punk are walking up the sidewalk to the diner. He’s holding her hand, and I swear it takes everything in me not to throw my fist through the glass door.

  I know the instant Jane sees me. She pulls her hand from the guy and stares up at me wide eyed. I don’t even try to hide my thoughts from her. There’s no way she doesn’t see the possessiveness I’m feeling right now.

  I hold the door open and with a nod of my head, I say her name. “Jane.”

  “Uh, hey Dutton.”

  She walks by, and her sweet vanilla sugar scent fills my nostrils. She’s dressed up in a skirt and blouse, and it takes everything in me not to throw her over my shoulder and get her the fuck out of here.

  The punk walks inside, leaving Jane to follow him, and I want to deck him for not showing my girl any manners. What the fuck? My mind’s all jumbled. I don’t want him to charm her or anything else.

  They walk in and take a seat in a booth. I stalk behind them because there’s no way I’m letting her out of my sight.

  I sit at the booth next to theirs. His back is to me, and I’m right in direct sight of Jane. She keeps looking at me. She appears to be nervous, and I can’t say I blame her. I know the look I’m giving her is not very comforting. I feel betrayed right now, but I know I shouldn’t. It’s my own fuckin’ fault. I should have moved faster. I should have asked her out long before this. But I wanted everything to be perfect. Well, fuck perfect.

  Alice walks up to my table and sets a slice of apple pie in front of me. “Don’t do anything stupid and don’t destroy my diner.”

  But I don’t even acknowledge her. I can’t take my eyes off Jane. I sit here and stare at her as she and her date order their food, and then Alice walks away, leaving them to put their orders in.

  “Jane, are you listening to me?” he asks her, and she blinks, taking her eyes off me and turning toward her date.

  “Yes, sorry. What did you say?”

  “You would think if I’m going to buy you dinner, you could at least try to have a conversation with me.”

  I put my elbows on the table and lean forward. He’s already crossing the line, being rude and confrontational to her. She’s mine, you dumb fuck. I lace my fingers together and just bide my time. One misstep and I’m jumping in.

  Jane

  I knew this was a bad idea. I should never have told Martin yes. When he picked me up and told me we were going to The Stop for dinner, I knew that something was up. He’s been friendly for the most part, but already I know I’m not interested.

  And now, here I am, sitting in the hard plastic booth and I can feel Dutton’s eyes burning into me. When Martin was holding my hand when we walked toward the restaurant, Dutton looked like he was about to kill someone. I didn’t even think it was because of me or the fact that I’m on a date with someone else. But when Dutton followed us in and sat in the booth right next to us, I had a pretty good feeling that there’s something more going on.

  I shake my head and try to get my thoughts back on my date. “Why did you pick The Stop to eat at? I mean I’m not complaining, but I eat here all the time. I thought we’d go to Stacks or Southern Hospitality to eat.”

  His lips lift in the corner, almost like he’s smirking. “After eating your apple pie yesterday, I couldn’t wait to get a taste of your cherry pie today.”

  A growl comes from Dutton’s booth. He still hasn’t touched the pie that Alice set down in front of him. Which is not like him. He loves my apple pie.

  Alice brings our food, and I take a bite of the too greasy burger. I eat half of it while Martin finishes his meal. He doesn’t even try to talk, which frankly I’m relieved over. It’s already hard sitting here with Dutton staring at me, I don’t really want to have a conv
ersation too.

  When Martin pushes his plate away, Alice shows up. “Can I get y’all anything else?”

  I’m already shaking my head, but Martin interrupts. “Yes, I would love a slice of Jane’s cherry pie.”

  I don’t know if it’s my imagination or not, but I swear that he stresses the word cherry.

  “We’re out of pie,” Alice tells him, laying the check down.

  I look up at the counter and there’s two pies left where I brought three in this morning, but I know better than to argue with Alice. Plus, I’m ready for this night to be over with.

  Alice walks away, and Martin reaches for me. “That’s okay. I’ll be getting the real thing later tonight.”

  Uneasy now, I pull my hands back. “What are you talking about?”

  Martin eyes my chest, and I cross my arms before he looks back to my face. “Ya know. I heard you tell your friend the other day that you were the last virgin in Sweetheart. I’m going to help you with that.”

  I gasp at the same time I hear a scraping sound of someone shoving a booth across the tiled floor. I know what’s happening even before I see Dutton stand up.

  “Get out of here,” Dutton growls, now standing next to our table.

  Martin has to lean his head back to look up at Dutton, and I have to give it to him, he doesn’t flinch or look even the slightest intimidated. “Who are you?”

  Dutton takes a deep breath, and I can tell he’s trying to rein it in, but it’s obvious he’s struggling. He leans down, putting his hands on the table, leaning over Martin. “I’m your worst fuckin’ nightmare. Your date here is over. Now I suggest you get up and leave, or I’ll make you leave.”

  Breathe, Jane. Don’t forget to breathe. I know I should be worried about Martin right now, but instead I’m focused on the muscles of Dutton’s forearm, unable to take my eyes off him.

  “Jane?” Martin asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

  “Uh, you should probably do as he says, Martin. This was a mistake. I didn’t mean for you to hear that yesterday, but uh, I’m not interested in doing that with you.”

  The minute my words seem to sink in, Martin’s face transforms. He’s pissed, and he gets up, glaring at me.

  He doesn’t say a word, just slides by Dutton and toward the door. When he gets a safe distance, he stops. “It’s all right, Jane. I know where you live. I’ll just stop by and see you when I decide to go slumming again.”

  Dutton pushes off the table, and I jump up and run around to get in front of him. I put my hand to his chest, and he stops. His hand goes up to mine, and he’s crushing my fingers, but I can’t make myself care. Dutton’s chest is heaving, and he’s looking at me like he’s trying to decide what to do. “Dutton, he’s not worth it.”

  His other hand goes to my waist. “No one talks to you like that.”

  4

  Dutton

  She’s looking up at me with wide eyes, and I’m doing my best not to freak her out. Her chest rises and falls with every breath she takes. I could kill someone. Preferably the man that just threatened Jane. But her hands on me is the only thing that could stop me right now. She pushes, and I’m way bigger and stronger than her, but I let her push until the back of my legs hit the seat I had just got up from.

  “C’mon, sit down. I’ll sit with you while you eat your pie.”

  “I’m not hungry,” I tell her, which is a lie. I am hungry. But not for pie. I’m hungry for her.

  She juts her chin out. “I don’t want you to fight because of me. Because I make stupid decisions.”

  Her face is red, and I know she’s embarrassed. Jane has never been one to enjoy having any kind of attention on herself. I wrap my hand around the base of her neck and lift her chin up so she has to look at me. “First of all, it wouldn’t be a fight. I’d just knock him out. Second of all, you don’t make stupid decisions. None of this is on you.”

  She tries to look away, but I stop her. “You got it, Jane?”

  Finally, she nods her head, and I step away from the booth and gesture for her to sit down. She slides into the booth, and I sit down next to her. I know I’m a big man and am probably crowding her, but after tonight, I want her next to me. She’s surprised, I know she is, but I act like we sit like this all the time. “You want some pie?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I’ve lost my appetite.”

  Alice comes by the table. “Everything okay here?”

  She’s looking between the two of us, and I nod my head. “Yep, we’re good.” I hand over some twenties to cover my pie and Jane’s and her date’s meals. “Can I get a hamburger and fries to go?”

  Alice looks like she has something else to say, but finally she just nods her head. “Yeah, coming right up.”

  I look around the diner and watch as more and more people are coming in. “Actually, Alice, do you care to give it to Sam? He’s outside. I’ll let him know to keep an eye out for you.”

  “Sure thing,” she says, and I stand up, holding my hand out to Jane.

  She slides to the edge and puts her hand in mine. It’s then, for the first time tonight, that I finally feel like everything is going to be okay. I wrap my fingers around hers and pull her against me.

  I hold on to her the whole way across the diner and open the door to let her through, but I still don’t let her go. I start walking across the parking lot and stop next to Sam. “Hey, Sam.”

  “Hey, Dutton. Hey, Jane. Everything okay?”

  The way he asks, I know he saw everything. The good thing about it, I know if I wasn’t here, Sam would have been in there to keep an eye out for Jane. She dotes on him, always trying to feed him and give him clothes to keep him warm. But he does the same for her. He’s changed her oil and put new tires on her car that I got her without her knowing they were from me. He would do anything for her. “We’re good. Alice is bringing you dinner. I’m going to take Jane home.”

  He nods his head. “Sure thing. Thanks, Dutton.”

  We get just a short distance before Jane pulls me to a stop. “Sam, you got your blankets? It’s supposed to get cold tonight.”

  Sam nods his head. “I’ve got them. Quit worrying about me, honey.”

  She nods, but Sam and I both know that she’s not going to stop worrying about him. She definitely has a soft spot for the old veteran.

  When we get to my truck, I open it for her, and I can’t resist putting my hands on her hips and helping her up into the seat.

  Once she’s in, I shut her door and walk around to the driver’s side, pulling myself up into the cab and sitting down next to her. Already, her sweet scent fills the cab of the truck, and I inhale deeply as if I can commit it to memory that way or something.

  “That was nice of you to feed Sam,” she says, looking at me like she’s looking at me for the first time or something.

  “He’s good to you. You are always trying to take care of him.” I shrug my shoulders like that’s explanation enough. Doesn’t she know that anything she cares about, I do too? Maybe not yet, but she’ll understand it soon.

  Jane

  This is the first time I’ve ever been alone with Dutton. I fidget with my hands in my lap and try to look everywhere but at him. The inside of his truck is clean and spotless. It even smells of coconut, reminding me of that tanning lotion that I’ve used in the summer at the pool.

  When the silence seems so loud in my ears and my heart starts to race, Dutton leans over and covers my hands with his. “Jane?”

  I look at our hands instead of at him. His is so much bigger than mine, and his skin is darker and rougher than mine. But I like it. With just this one simple touch, he makes me feel small… dainty… protected. And I’ve never felt any of those things. I’ve always been a bigger girl. The one that’s unable to wear the short shorts because of the dimples in my thighs. And I’ve always had to find the longer shirts to cover my middle, which is soft and curvy. But being next to Dutton, with his big hands on me, I feel moisture between my legs, and the on
ly way to relieve the pressure is by squeezing my thighs together.

  “Jane, look at me, honey.”

  His voice is soft but demanding.

  I lift my head and look into his eyes. It’s dark in the cab, but the many lights in the parking lot streaming through the windows allows me to see the dark blue of his eyes with glints of gold. He’s staring at me, and I can see the worry on his face.

  “I’m fine, Dutton. Can you take me home?”

  “Why’d you go out with him?”

  I knew he’d ask me, but I never dreamed that I would hear hurt in his voice. I search his face, trying to see if my actions, me going out with Martin, really bothered him. The way he’s swallowing hard, his chest hitching like it’s hard for him to take a breath, and the pained look on his face tells me that he doesn’t approve of what I did. I can’t say I blame him, but I don’t understand why.

  So I decide to be as honest with him as I can. “I get asked out all the time. But it’s always truckers that are passing through. Martin was the first person from around here that asked me. I didn’t think it was a big deal, it was one date. But I had no idea he heard me telling Pepper that I was a virgin.”

  Humiliated, I drop my gaze from his and pull my hands from his. I wrap my arms around myself and gaze out into the parking lot. Alice has brought Sam’s food, and I watch as he eats it. At least that lightens my mood just a little.

  “Did he pick you up at your house?”

  I nod my head and my voice is thick. “Yes.”

  He turns the key in the ignition and the big rig comes to life. “I don’t want you to stay at your apartment. Not until I check into this guy and know he’s going to leave you alone.”

  “But, uh, I don’t have anywhere to go. He’s not going to come and mess with me. It was a joke to him. I’m a joke.”