Chapter Three

Sasha thought she heard someone call her name. Distracted, she glanced over Ethan’s shoulder, her stomach plummeted, and she missed a step, landing on his poor foot. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Are you…?” He looked down at her and frowned before loosening his hold to turn around.

She blinked, but Evie Fontenot was still standing on the edge of the dance floor, and wouldn’t you know it, her sexy-as-sin father was crossing the restaurant, closing the distance between them like some avenging angel. Ha, devil is more like it. A devil dressed in a white button-down shirt that contrasted with his olive complexion and dark jeans that showcased his slim hips and long legs. And, oh God, he was wearing those black cowboy boots that made her stomach tingle.

What were father and daughter doing here? It had to be a coincidence. From what she’d heard from fellow teachers, Gator’s Cajun Grill was a popular Friday night spot. Remy Fontenot had no way of knowing where she’d be tonight or that she had a date. She hadn’t lived in Rose Creek long enough for everyone to know her business. No, that would come later. A definite downside to small-town life. Too bad she couldn’t see herself as a big city person.

Before Sasha’s stomach could settle back to its usual spot, Evie had planted herself in front of her and Ethan.

Evie put her hands on her hips. “Uncle Ethan, what are you doing here with Miz Honeycutt?”

Uncle? Sasha groaned. Seriously? Even in a small town like Rose Creek, what were the odds?

“Hello to you, too, Evangeline,” Ethan said in a stern tone, then grinned and ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Sasha is my date. You know what that means, right?”

Evie scowled. “But—”

“Date?” Remy had joined them, and his scowl matched his daughter’s, a line forming in the middle of his forehead. He looked at Sasha, and the groove deepened. “You’re dating my baby brother?”

“Brothers? But…but…Ethan said…” You’ve got to be kidding me. Sasha gulped back a sudden wave of nausea. Oh good Lord, this just got better and better.

Ethan clapped Remy on the back, rather hard from the sound of it. “Remy’s my much older brother…more like a father really…since he practically raised my sister and me. Isn’t that right?”

Was Remy growling? Good grief, had she wandered onto the set of a Fellini movie?

Say something, Sasha. “I didn’t…I don’t…I mean, you two have—”

“Different last names?” Remy put his arm on Ethan’s shoulder and squeezed, making the other man grunt. “We’re half brothers.”

Side by side, Sasha could see similarities. They were the same height and general body type, but Ethan didn’t have Remy’s thick black hair or bittersweet chocolate eyes or deep silky voice. Ethan Dent was handsome and pleasant, but she had to admit he didn’t make her heart beat erratically the way Remy did. Oh, Sasha, you are in so much trouble.

“How do you two know each other?” Ethan’s gaze bounced between her and Remy.

“Miz Honeycutt’s my new teacher.” Evie sidled closer to Sasha, smiling broadly.

Ethan’s head jerked back, and his gaze landed on Remy. “She’s your cat lady?”

Sasha didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was being a “cat lady” better or worse than “that widow?” Ethan was staring open-mouthed at Remy, whose chiseled cheekbones had sprouted a bloom of color.

“Uncle Ethan, do you know Henry?” Evie balanced on her toes in an attempt to be more included in the conversation.

Ethan scowled and glanced between all three of them. “Who’s Henry?”

Sasha opened her mouth, but before she could speak Remy did.

“He’s Sasha’s cat. A Maine coon if I’m not mistaken.” Remy elbowed Ethan. “Keep up, little brother.”

How did…? Sasha stared at Remy, who had a faint smile tugging the corners of his mouth. She was transported back to the night they met and how that generous mouth felt and tasted.

What is wrong with me? She was on a date, a real date—her first in what felt like forever, for crying out loud. She’d been a married woman before the ink was dry on her teaching degree and a dateless widow for five years. Now all she could think about was the feel of Remy’s lips on hers, the way he tasted of whiskey and cigars, the way his tongue— No! She lifted her gaze from his mouth to find him staring at her. He winked, and Sasha ground her teeth. Of all the nerve.

Remy put his hand on Evie’s shoulder and eased her back as a pair of dancers swung past. “Maybe we should all sit and get out of everyone’s way.”

“Are we gonna sit with Uncle Ethan and Miz Honeycutt?” Evie looked from one adult to another, a hopeful expression on her features, her hands held in supplication. “Please. Please. Please.”

Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Sasha?”

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. Remy’s presence made her realize, although Ethan was a super nice guy and a doctor to boot, he didn’t make her heart race or her palms sweat the way his brother did.

On the other hand, she and Ethan were on a date, a date she’d accepted, and she wouldn’t abandon him. Whoa, who said anything about abandoning Ethan? Evie had asked to join them, that’s all. But if Evie joined them, that meant Remy would, too, and Sasha’s concentration would always land on him, like some sort of homing beacon. She loved her new job, her new hometown, and she didn’t need a relationship blunder taking that away from her.

Remy smoothed Evie’s hair off her forehead. “We can’t horn in on Ethan’s date.”

“I think you already have, dear brother.” Ethan glanced at Sasha and sighed.

Heat flooded her cheeks. It would appear her silence had spoken for her. She would like to blame Remy for ruining her date, but the truth was it was just as much her fault. Other men ceased to exist for her when faced with Remy Fontenot, but she had to at least try. She couldn’t risk her fresh start. The man had danger written all over him, which meant he was not right for her. She wanted normal. Ordinary. Someone who didn’t set off warning signals every time he looked her way. “It really wouldn’t be right to—”

The buzzing of Ethan’s phone interrupted her, and he held up a finger.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he pulled the chirping gadget out of his pocket. He grimaced at the screen. “I better get this.”

“I guess that’s what can happen when you go out with a doctor.” Remy watched his brother walk away, then turned back to Sasha and quirked an eyebrow. “Perhaps your mother’s advice didn’t take that into consideration.”

“My mother’s advice…? Oh.” Yeah, she’d thrown that rather juvenile bit about a doctor out there because he’d been so sexy in that starched and pressed uniform, and she hadn’t welcomed the attraction or the way her heart sped up around him. She’d mentally kicked herself for kissing him in the first place. And that was before she even knew he was in law enforcement. As if saying some stupid stuff about marrying a doctor would—

Evie tugged on Sasha’s hand. “Can we sit with you, Miz Honeycutt?”

“May we sit with you,” Sasha said.

Evie tilted her head. “Huh? But Papá and I don’t have a table yet.”

“I think Miss Honeycutt was correcting your grammar.” Remy rested his palm over Evie’s head.

“But I’m not in school,” Evie pointed out.

“You’re right, but I guess some professions are 24/7,” Sasha said and glanced at her date pushing the restaurant’s outer door open and stepping out, his cell phone held to his ear. The whole scenario brought back unwelcome memories of her previous life. Not that she was looking to marry Ethan, but was one uninterrupted date too much to ask?

Remy glanced toward the door his brother had disappeared through and cleared his throat. “How about if Evie and I sit with you at least until Ethan gets back? We can always move to a different table after.”

“But I don’t want to move to another table. I want to sit with Miz Honeycutt.” Evie looked close to tears.

“I’m sure we can all sit together. We have a table over here, and there’s plenty of room.” Sasha took Evie’s hand. Her date was already ruined, even if Ethan returned and Remy and Evie sat on the other side of the restaurant. Sasha suspected her gaze would be seeking out Remy for the remainder of the evening. Her stomach churned. Not exactly a fresh start if she traveled down the same path as before, but she truly liked the little girl and hated to disappoint her. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

Evie grabbed her dad’s hand and walked between them as they made their way to Sasha’s table. Heads turned and people nodded and smiled as they passed. Sasha could imagine the picture they were presenting to the town’s residents.

Remy pulled out Sasha’s chair while Evie scrambled into a seat on the other side of the table. Taking the seat next to Sasha, Remy sat across from his daughter. Sasha drew in a breath to brace herself against Remy’s closeness but succeeded only in breathing in his tempting scent. She could pick out hints of cinnamon, grapefruit, and mandarin orange. He shifted in the seat, and his thigh brushed against hers, sending tingles of anticipation racing through her. She may not have been with a man in five long years, but she hadn’t forgotten the basics.

Their waitress, Claire, appeared with the drinks she and Ethan had ordered and blinked. “Have you switched dinner dates? Or am I having some sort of senior moment?”

“No senior moments.” Sasha lined up her silverware so they were equidistant apart. “My date had to slip out for a moment so they’re keeping me company until he gets back.”

“Miz Honeycutt is my teacher,” Evie said. “Isn’t she pretty?”

“Sure is, and I’ll bet that’s why she’s so popular tonight.” Claire set the drinks down. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small package of crayons and set them in front of Evie, then glanced at Sasha. “Did you want to wait for your…uh…other friend to get back before ordering?”

Sasha had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the irony. She’d gone from cat lady to a woman on a date with two men—brothers!—at once. The gossips would have a field day tomorrow.

“But I’m hungry,” Evie said as she opened the box of crayons.

The waitress rested her hand on the back of Evie’s chair. “Well, how about some appetizers?”

Evie looked from Sasha to her father. “Can we, please?”

Remy touched Sasha’s arm. “How about it? Appetizer?”

It was just a light touch, the thing someone did to get your attention before they spoke. So why had all her senses gone on high alert? “Sure. That’s fine with me, but I have no idea what to order or what Ethan might want.”

“Leave it to me,” he said. “I’ll take care of everything.”

Including you. Her imagination supplied that last part, and it should have had her sputtering in anger. At him? At herself? Who knew? And that made it worse. What was wrong with her? Jimmy had been the same way—taking charge of everything. He’d pampered her by keeping things from her, and she’d been angry with him since learning the truth. But not standing up for herself, demanding more, burying her head in the sand was on her.

She was a grown woman who could take care of herself, support herself, make her own decisions and therefore, those words should be insulting, not sending sparks along her nerve endings.

Once he’d ordered, Remy turned his attention back to Sasha. “I hope my little brother doesn’t always treat you like this.”

“It’s our first date,” Sasha said and immediately felt disloyal to Ethan for admitting that.

Remy made a tutting sound with his tongue, but the smug expression on his face belied his actions. “The kid’s got a lot to learn about first impressions.”

“You keep calling him a kid. Exactly how old is he?” Sasha asked. She knew Ethan was a veterinarian, so he wasn’t exactly a kid, as Remy insisted on calling him. Unless Ethan had been some sort of child prodigy. And at thirty-two, she hadn’t thought about a big age difference between them and suspected Remy was simply playing up the fact Ethan was younger.

Remy picked up the glass of water the waitress had placed in front of him and examined it.

“Remy?” she prompted. Oh good Lord, she was on a date and using her teacher voice. Whoa, hold on. She and Remy weren’t on a date. Her date was with Ethan.

And yet, here she was sitting with Remy and Evie.

“He’s twenty-six,” Remy finally said and took a sip.

So I’m not some cradle robber. Sasha unwrapped her straw and wound the paper around her finger. But six years was a bigger difference than she would’ve thought. In her peripheral vision she noticed Ethan returning. She released the straw wrapper from her finger and smoothed it out on the table. “If you think he’s a kid at twenty-six, you must be much, much older than you look.”

Remy sputtered and choked on the water he’d been swallowing just as Ethan appeared behind him.

“You okay there, bro?” Ethan asked and gave his brother a good pounding on the back, winking at Sasha as he did so.

Remy swung his arm in a wide defensive arc. Cough. “Quit that”—cough—“I’m fine.”

“Papá? Did it go down the wrong hole?” Evie had paused with a crayon in her hand.

Ethan danced out of the way of Remy’s flailing arm. “Sure sounded like something went down wrong. Can’t be too careful…a guy your dad’s age and all.”

Sasha stifled a laugh, not wanting to encourage them. Evie shook her head and went back to coloring, as if accustomed to her father and uncle’s sibling rivalry.

Remy was still trying to catch his breath, and his answer was to swing his arm in a wider arc. Ethan laughed and jumped out of the way when Remy pushed his chair back.

Still chuckling, Ethan went to Sasha’s side and hunkered down next to her seat. “Sasha, I’m afraid there’s an emergency at one of the ranches. A mare is having trouble giving birth. I have to go and see what I can do.”

Sasha touched his arm. “Oh no, I hope everything will be okay.”

“Are you gonna help the horse, Uncle Ethan?” Evie leaned over the table, resting on her elbows.

“I’m sure going to try.” Ethan stood. “Sorry to cut this evening short. Animal babies are rather like humans in that they don’t always pick the most convenient times to be born.”

“That’s okay, I understand.” She should be used to it actually. How many times had Jimmy canceled dates or missed family functions because of work? How many meals had she eaten alone?

Sasha pushed her chair back, but Evie leaned across the table and grabbed her hand. “But I don’t want Miz Honeycutt to leave,” Evie whined.

Remy looked to his daughter and then to Sasha. She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do. “Evie and I can take Sasha home. No need to ruin her whole evening because you got called away.” He rested his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from standing.

Sasha did her best to ignore Remy’s touch. She could see Ethan was torn, and she regretted her earlier self-pitying thoughts comparing him to her late husband. From his expression, she worried he picked up on her disappointment despite telling him it was okay. Remy’s comment hadn’t helped, either. Nor did his hand, which now felt more like a caress. A caress she wouldn’t lean in to.

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry this happened but—”

“I understand and admire your dedication. You can be very proud of the work you do.” Sasha threw Remy her “stink eye” as she shrugged off his hand, pushed back her chair, and rose. She gave Ethan a quick hug, but it was platonic, something she would have given any friend or colleague. “You go. I’ll stay with Remy and Evie.”

Ethan lowered his chin at Evie. “I’m counting on you to be a watchful chaperone.”

Evie nodded enthusiastically, but Sasha didn’t miss the mischievousness in her student’s eyes. “Oh, I will, I promise. And I’ll do the best job ever.”

Ethan stepped back and glanced at Remy. “Looks like I’m leaving you in capable hands.”

Heat rose in Sasha’s cheeks. Remy had capable hands all right and the calluses to prove it.

“Uncle Ethan? What’s a chap-chaperone?”

Ethan laughed, and Sasha joined him. She would enjoy tonight with Remy, and after this she’d keep her distance. She already knew she and Ethan would never be more than friends because they were missing that spark. Just her luck the first man to ignite that spark was off-limits. Even if Remy weren’t a parent of a student, he was in the one profession she’d sworn to avoid. She knew the cost, the cancelled plans, the holidays spent alone. Of course that was nothing compared to the nausea a vivid imagination caused whenever he was late getting home. Or the increase in heart rate a simple knock at the door caused.

No, she wasn’t signing up for that ever again.

Remy had scrambled out of his seat at the sight of Sasha giving his brother a friendly hug. He wasn’t normally possessive and yet that was the only way he could describe what he’d felt at seeing Sasha with Ethan. And that was after only one kiss and a little flirting. Yes, he wanted a mother for Evie, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep a woman like Sasha in the box marked “wife.” And he wasn’t in the market for another battered heart. Bon Dieu but he was in trouble.

“I really appreciate this,” Ethan said as he backed away.

Remy shifted closer to Sasha but resisted draping an arm around her in some Neanderthal display. Sasha would probably get pissed, and Ethan would give him grief over it. His relationship with his brother was complicated. Given their history, Remy’s attitude was more paternal, but an adult Ethan didn’t see it that way. However, Remy couldn’t turn off the feelings.

“Don’t give it a second thought, little brother. I’ll take good care of her.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. Sasha, I’ll call you.”

Remy couldn’t help notice Sasha had subtly shifted away from him as Ethan left. Good call on not draping that arm around her. Was she afraid of the chemistry between them? Or did she resent it? He knew from the way she fidgeted in his presence she felt something, too, but she seemed to take this no dating a student’s parent seriously. Although he didn’t see the harm, he admired her ethical stance. Then he groaned mentally as he counted the days until the end of the school year.

“You’ll stay and eat with us, right, Miz Honeycutt?” Evie asked, her eyes big and begging. She bounced in her chair when Sasha nodded. Who would’ve thought his daughter would turn out to be a better wingman than his friends had ever been?

Sasha sat and glanced at him, narrowing her eyes as if a thought had just occurred to her. “Are you sure you didn’t arrange all of this?”

No, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take advantage of a situation that had landed in his lap. He also took his seat and turned his head toward her. “If I was that powerful, I wouldn’t have had to arrange anything. You would have accepted my offer of supper in the first place.”

Sasha glanced toward Evie, who was busy drawing on her paper placemat.

“So, no using those powers for good?” Sasha asked, a suspicious tension around her lips, as if she were trying not to smile.

Unable to help himself, he leaned closer and dragged in her scent. The flowery fragrance reminded him of some thing or some place, but he was having trouble placing it. “Oh, believe me, it will be good, cher.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself.” Sasha answered in a low, slightly husky voice.

Her sultry voice as much as the words themselves made him shift in his chair. He draped his white cloth napkin over his lap. “Maybe you’re the one who should have been inviting me to dinner.”

That adorable dimple appeared between her eyebrows. “How do you figure that?”

Oh how he wanted to stick his tongue in that sexy little groove. Bon Dieu, he needed to start thinking about all that dreaded paperwork piled on his desk or this was going to get uncomfortable. “I seem to remember you needing my help winning a bet. As I recall, it was a whole twenty dollars.”

“The bet was for a kiss, but not necessarily with you.”

He made a sound deep in his throat. “As if I would have let that happen.”

“And what, exactly, would you have done about it?” Her brow shot up, and challenge gleamed in her eyes.

“I would—”

“Papá?”

They both jumped apart at the sound of Evie’s voice. With a gaze that he hoped told Sasha what they’d started wasn’t over, he turned to his daughter and cleared his throat. “What is it, ‘tite ange?”

“Why aren’t you dancing with Miz Honeycutt? You always dance with all the pretty ladies, and she’s the prettiest one here.” Evie rested her chin on her cupped palm and contemplated the two of them. His daughter tried her best to look innocent, but Remy knew better. Luckily, he agreed with her suggestion, but he definitely needed to have a talk with Evie about her matchmaking. No telling what the little scamp was capable of.

“You’re so right. Miss Honeycutt is the prettiest one here.” He held out his hand to Sasha and gave her an expectant look. “Shall we?”

Sasha glanced at his hand and color rose in her face. Were memories of that night causing the blush in her cheeks? His gut clenched. Or was she searching for a way to decline?

“Sasha?” he prompted when she didn’t respond. Did she not want to dance? Or just not with him? She’d been dancing with Ethan.

She watched the dancers on the floor for a moment and drew her bottom lip into her mouth. “I don’t know how to two-step. Ethan and I were simply waltzing, and I still managed to tromp on his toes.”

Relieved that his thoughts had taken a wrong turn, he grinned and clasped her hand in his. “No problem. I’ll teach you. You’ll be in good hands. Mine.”