Riding the Line (9 page)
The thing was, she’d bugged him with her remarks about him trying too hard to keep everyone happy. What else was he supposed to do if he wanted his family to thrive and succeed? He turned off the shower and got out, found a discarded towel to rub himself dry.
OK, so sometimes he did feel as if he used up all his energy making stuffhappen for other people, but what was wrong with that? His dreams could wait a while. There was no rush or need to be selfish. There were way too many overachievers in his family already.
He draped the towel over the bath and headed back into the bedroom. Robyn sat on the bed watching the TV, her arms wrapped around her knees, long dark hair now confined in her usual severe braid. She’d put on a new black T-shirt and a pair of shorts that displayed the length of her legs.
Dakota rummaged in his bag for another T-shirt, clean boxers and then slipped on his jeans. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be OK, but she’d probably accuse him of trying to make her happy or something. There was no way in hell he was going to apologize again for being who he was.
‘Would you like something to eat?’
She turned her head toward him, her expression polite and neutral. ‘I thought there was nowhere to eat in the evenings here.’
He picked up one of the bags. ‘There isn’t, but while you were shopping, I picked up some ready-cooked stuffand salad. We can reheat it in the microwave.’
‘There’s a microwave?’
‘Yeah, in the main office. It’ll only take me a minute to run over there and back.’
Robyn sighed and uncurled her legs. God, he looked so cute standing there, offering to make her dinner, especially after the way she’d chewed him out. But she wasn’t going to apologize; he
was
too good to be true.
was
too good to be true.
‘What is there?’
‘Nothing fancy. Noodles and sauce, Mac and cheese, meatloaf . . .’
‘That would be great.’
He smiled at her properly for the first time since their shower. ‘Which one?’
‘Any of them, all of them.’
‘OK, I’ll be right back. How about you deal with the salad?’
‘I can manage that.’
He gathered up the bag and left, leaving Robyn staring at the remaining bags. Inside she found a mixed salad with dressing, a carton of orange juice and four tubs of chocolate pudding. Of course there was nothing to put the food on or to eat it with, but she was sure they could manage.
In Dakota’s absence she decided to sort out the rest of her new clothes and put them into the backpack she’d bought, ready for the morning. She worked her way through the bags, cutting off tags, trying stuffon to check the fit and generally enjoying her cheap purchases. Amazing how much she’d been able to buy with the money Dakota had given her.
Lent her, she reminded herself sternly. When she got back to LA she was going to demand her sister and mom pay back some of the money they’d borrowed from her over the years. It was about time she got something from them to help pay the bills. Her mom, in the role of her manager, had screwed Robyn over financially and emotionally. As a young adult dependent on drugs and alcohol, she’d let herself be taken advantage of over and over again.
She started on the last bag of stuff, found a large box of condoms buried amongst the make-up and cleanser she’d bought. Perhaps she shouldn’t have got them after all. What right had she to tell Dakota how to live his life? Despite his over-nice streak he seemed pretty together. She sighed. At least she’d stopped being a doormat to her family and her lovers. Perhaps running away had been the answer all along. It had given her a breathing space to sort the truth from the lies and remember exactly what was important to her. At least now she could go back and focus on Leda’s needs.
‘Hey, I borrowed some plates and cutlery from Dorothy, so we’re all set.’
Robyn fixed a smile on her face and hurried across to the small table where Dakota had placed the food.
‘Sorry, I was putting my stuffaway. I’ll get the salad.’
‘It’s OK, I can get it.’
She snatched the bag from him. ‘I can do it!’ She ripped into the plastic so hard that half the leaves ended up on the table.
‘Thanks for tossing it so well.’
She looked up, her teeth hurt from grinding them together. ‘I’ll have that bit. You can have the rest.’
He held out his hands in a placatory gesture. ‘No worries, it’s only salad.’
‘I know!’ Robyn sat down abruptly in her chair, her anger evaporating as rapidly as it had arisen. ‘I can fix it just fine if you’d stop interfering.’
‘
OK
– there’s no need to go nuts.’ He sat opposite her and a muscle flicked near his jaw. ‘Dammit, woman, are you going to eat your dinner or not?’
OK
– there’s no need to go nuts.’ He sat opposite her and a muscle flicked near his jaw. ‘Dammit, woman, are you going to eat your dinner or not?’
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. ‘It depends. Are you going to get mad at me?’
‘Nope, I’m going to eat my food and shut up before I say anything else stupid, all right?’
He glared back at her, actually glared, and Robyn found herself smiling.
‘Good because if you do shut up I might be persuaded to do something interesting later with that chocolate pudding you bought.’
His eyebrows rose and he settled back in his seat and picked up his fork. ‘Shutting up.’
Chapter Seven
Dakota put down his fork and looked at Robyn, who sat opposite him at the diner. Despite taking a shower, he still smelt like chocolate. Four tubs of dessert had turned the night into a series of sucking and licking chocolate from each other’s orifices until the bed was smeared with sweetness and they were both giggling like school kids.
Despite the closeness, he hadn’t come inside her, yet. Her mouth, yeah, but not the full works. He was still waiting to be asked nicely. His mouth quirked up at the corner. As if that would ever happen, with the prickly contrary individual sitting opposite him. But that was what he wanted, her begging for him, begging for his cock . . .
‘Why are you staring at me?’
‘What?’ He blinked hard at her as she swiped at the corner of her mouth.
‘Do I have egg on my face or something?’
‘Nope, I was just thinking.’
She snorted. ‘I bet I know what about.’
He smiled into her suspicious eyes. ‘My truck, of course.’
‘Yeah, right.’
‘I’m hoping those guys will be able to fix it today so we can get going.’
‘That would be cool, so I’ll forgive you for lying.’
He picked up his coffee and swallowed half of it before looking back at her. ‘Actually, I was thinking about you begging me for sex. Of shoving my cock inside you while you screamed for more.’
‘Dakota!’ Color rose on her cheeks and she put down her fork.
‘What’s up, honey, are you getting shy on me? You certainly weren’t shy last night when I ate that chocolate right out of your . . .’
‘More coffee, sir?’
Dakota held up his mug. ‘Sure, thanks.’ He waited until the waitress retreated before focusing back on Robyn who was eating her omelet as if her life depended on it. For someone so tough, she sure had a sensitive side. He couldn’t resist needling her. ‘Why are you so edgy this morning anyway?’
‘As I said yesterday, Dakota. This is just how I am. Get used to it.’
‘And who are you, exactly?’ She glared at him but didn’t answer. ‘I don’t even know your real surname.’
‘Maybe I don’t have one.’
He chuckled. ‘Yeah, like Sting or Madonna. Somehow I don’t buy that.’
She avoided his gaze, stabbing her fork into the crust of her toast as if it was her enemy.
‘You crept out of that motel room this morning like you expected to be surrounded by the police. Did you rob a bank or something? Are we going to turn up on
America’s Most Wanted
in one of those car chases?’
America’s Most Wanted
in one of those car chases?’
‘I am not wanted by the police, OK?’
‘So what are you running from?’
‘You if you don’t shut up.’
‘Hell, no. I’m saving you, right? I’m your ride out of town.’
Robyn set her jaw. ‘I am not running away from anything. I’m trying to get back to LA.’
He watched her face, leant across to stroke her luscious lower lip. ‘Tell me what’s going on, honey. I promise I won’t be shocked whatever it is.’
‘There you go again. Trying to save me.’ She got to her feet. ‘I just need a ride in your truck, not a white knight on his horse.’
Dakota kept his seat and stared up at her. ‘Good thing I don’t have Tommy with me then. Crazy horse has always wanted to be in a fairy tale.’
Robyn raised her gaze skyward as if seeking divine help. ‘I’m going back to the motel.’
‘Fine, I’m going to check in at the garage and see if they can fix my truck. I’ll meet you back at the room.’
She slipped past the waitress and went out the door leaving Dakota to his coffee and his thoughts.
He’d tried to keep his tone light, unwilling to have yet another fight before he’d even digested his breakfast. Something was going on with her and he was determined to find out what it was. She was running all right. Part of him wished she had the courage to share her troubles with him.
Through the window, he watched her pick her way across the dusty sun-streaked street, sunglasses on the end of her upturned nose, braid over one shoulder. Despite her surroundings she looked as if she walked off a fashion runway or a red carpet. Dakota frowned. Where had he seen her before? And how was he supposed to help her if she refused to let him? Did he really want to open that particular can of worms?
They were only road-trip buddies, after all. He sensed she was just having fun with him and that was what he wanted, right? He had way too much on his plate to contemplate any kind of serious relationship. But he wanted her with an intensity that shook him to his boots.
He drained his coffee and looked around for the waitress. Next week he had the Prairie Dawg Boots TV ad to shoot, and then he had to go check on his horses for the upcoming rodeo season. And yeah, he was supposed to be writing his thesis proposal for his master’s degree in rangeland ecology.
He sighed deeply, paid the bill and headed out the door. His rodeo friends thought he was nuts going back to college when he could earn a good living as a cowboy. But Dakota had no intention of ending up injured and out of the sport like his brother Jay had, needing to find another career fast. He was going to be an overeducated employed cowboy if it killed him.
To his relief, the doors to the garage were open and the sound of country music echoed through the old timber-framed building. Dakota made his way across the oil-stained floor to an elderly guy dressed in grubby overalls bent over an engine.
‘Good morning, are you Mr Ford?’
‘I’m Elias Ford, yeah.’ The man straightened and pushed his glasses higher up his nose. ‘Are you the guy with the big 450?’
Dakota held out his hand. ‘I am. Can you take a look for me?’
Elias wiped his fingers on a rag and nodded. ‘Sure can. Any idea what you think it might be?’
Dakota pushed his Stetson back on his head. From the look of the place, he doubted Elias had access to the latest in computer diagnostic systems.
‘I reckon it’s something to do with the trailer brake controller. As I was coming down the long hill, north of the town, I kind of felt the trailer crowding in on me and that’s not good.’
‘Were the warning lights working on the controller?’
‘Yeah, it was constantly flicking between red and green. After I pulled over, I checked the tires and the axle to make sure they were OK and then the connections to the trailer, but I couldn’t see anything too obvious.’
Elias grunted and hiked up the straps of his overalls. ‘Sounds like the trailer brake controller all right. It happens a lot on these roads. Let’s go and check it out.’
Robyn finished her packing and started gathering up Dakota’s stuffas well. It was the least she could do when he was paying for everything. She folded another T-shirt and haphazardly stuffed it into his bag. It was a shame the motel didn’t have a laundry service. Dakota seemed to be running out of clean clothes. How did people wash their clothes in a place like this? She’d have to ask Dakota how he managed.
She glanced at her watch. Where was he? Surely he’d finished with the truck by now? She chewed her fingernails and contemplated the door. He was definitely getting suspicious about her. Was it time to tell him who she really was? Perhaps revealing her D-list celebrity status would turn out OK. Either he’d feel sorry for her or he’d laugh himself sick. She’d dealt with both reactions before.
‘Dammit, Dakota. I can’t sit here all day!’
She grabbed her purse and sunglasses and flung open the door. Sunlight flooded in, momentarily blinding her.
‘Hey, Robyn!’
She shaded her eyes and saw Dakota coming down the path. He was smiling which had to mean good news, didn’t it? She waited until he walked up to her and then moved back into the welcome shade of the room.
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