Shoulda Been A Cowboy (29 page)

“
Chicago, Illinois.”

“
How long were you in residence in Illinois?”

“
Three years.”

“
Where did you live previous to Chicago?”

“
Kharkiv, the Ukraine.”

“
Could you spell that for me, please?”

Domini did.

Scribble, scribble.

“
You immigrated to the United States from the
Ukraine nearly twelve years ago. You became a naturalized citizen of
the United States six years ago. In twelve years you've
lived…eight places. Is that correct?”

“
Yes.”

Scribble, scribble.

“
Do you have family in the Ukraine?”

“
No. I was orphaned at age eleven.”

“
Do you have family in Sundance or any of the
other seven locales you listed as former residences?”

“
No.” Domini's hopes were sinking.
When faced with the cold hard facts about her nomadic life, even
though she had valid reasons for the continual relocation, she felt
her chances of keeping Anton were getting smaller and smaller.

Maybe he belongs with a real family.

No! She was his family.

Mrs. Beesman glanced up. “I'd like to speak
with Anton now.”

Domini nodded. She poked her head in the small bedroom
and gestured for Anton to come out.

Anton sat right next to Domini and gripped her hand. He
was trying so hard to be brave but his bottom lip quivered and Domini
almost lost it.

“
Anton, I'm going to ask you some questions.
Be as truthful as you can. If you feel you could be more truthful if
we were having this conversation somewhere else, just between you and
me, we can stop right now until I can arrange that.”

She ground her teeth. The boy was seven years old. He
still believed in Santa Claus for godsake. How was he supposed to
understand the implication Domini might be somehow coercing him?

“
Domini, don't leave. Don't make me go
somewhere else away from you. Please.”

“
I won't, sweetling. I'm right here.”

Mrs. Beesman's questions for Anton were neutral.
But when she asked him why he thought Domini wanted custody of him,
he simply said, “Because she loves me and she already knows how
to take care of me.”

Domini didn't bother to hide her tears.

Just like that the interview ended and Mrs. Beesman
bustled out.

Neither she nor Anton spoke for a while. When he started
swinging his feet—a nervous habit he'd always had—she
knew something bothered him. “Hey, buddy, what's going on
in that smart head of yours?”

“
I think I told her a lie.”

Fear skittered down her spine. “About what?”

“
About when she asked why you wanted me.”

“
You said exactly the right thing, the true thing.
I
do
love you. I
do
know how to take care of you.”

His blue eyes filled with such confusion and pain her
heart nearly stopped. “But do you think I shoulda told her that
you want me because no one else does?”

Those broken words sent her heart plummeting to her
toes. “Don't ever say that. Don't ever think that.
Anyone would be thrilled to have you, but I don't want to give
anyone else a chance because I want you most of all, understand?”

He nodded. He crawled into her lap, clinging as if he
were afraid to let her go. She understood the feeling.

Not for the first time, Domini thought if the court
ruled against her for custody of this sweet, needy little boy, she'd
take Anton and run.

And she had a sneaking suspicion Mrs. Beesman from
Social Services had come to the exact same conclusion.

 

***

 

Cam hadn't seen Domini for days and he was going
insane.

Before they'd hooked up, Cam had seen Domini every
day. Sometimes twice a day. He wasn't about to walk away when
he'd come to terms with how he felt about her.

In addition to setting up Nadia's memorial
service, Domini was taking care of Anton fulltime. He'd dealt
with his cousin Luke's funeral and all the family shit that
went along with it, which reminded him why he tended to avoid all
that unpleasantness.

Might not be PC, but Cam could give a crap how Anton
reacted to him being at Domini's place. Far as he was
concerned, the kid better get used to seeing him.

Cam knocked twice. The fifteen-second wait for her to
unlock the door was excruciating. Then Domini, his sweet, beautiful,
wonderful Domini, stood in front of him, close enough to touch, close
enough to kiss. He hugged her hard, kissed her hard and was totally
hard.

“
Come in the kitchen. You hungry? There's
leftover casserole.”

“
No. I don't have much of an appetite
lately.”

Domini brought them both a beer. He was a little
surprised when she parked herself on his lap.

They stayed that way, not speaking, just being together.
Cam had never known anyone as comfortable with silence as Domini.
He'd never known anyone like Domini period.

This awful week without her had just reinforced the
truth: Cam was totally head over heels in love with her. Nothing had
ever felt so real, so right.

Too bad his timing was all wrong. Domini had so many
life changing events to get through, he didn't want to burden
her with his declaration of love. When the time was right, he'd
blurt out everything in his heart. Every sappy thing.

“
Cam?”

He leaned back to look at her. “Sorry, I was kinda
spacing out. What did you say?”

“
I—I…”

“
What's wrong?”

She fingered the necklace he'd given her. “Come
to bed with me. Please. I know you can't stay, but I need to be
with you, even for a little while.”

Touched by her sweet hesitation, Cam clasped her hand
and directed her to the bedroom, locking the door behind them.

She stripped. She helped him strip. She left his
prosthesis on and pushed him on his back. After she straddled him,
she ran her hands up the insides of his arms and pinned his arms
above his head.

“
My way,” she said and kissed him.

Holy shit did Domini kiss him. Seductively. Wantonly.
Relentlessly. She licked and bit his lips as her tongue tasted and
teased. Her kisses destroyed him, turning him into a raging beast;
her caresses tamed him into a junkie who craved her touch. His body
burned from the light stroke of her fingertips over his skin. He
bowed up from the silken rasp of the pads of her thumbs across his
nipples. The bite of her nails into his scalp stung as she held him
in place and kissed him stupid.

Domini locked her gaze to his. She grasped his cock and
impaled herself in one deep stroke.

She kept the pace fast enough to excite but slow enough
to tantalize. When she whispered, “Put your hands on me and
help me ride,” Cam gritted his teeth against the urge to flip
her on her back and fuck her through the mattress.

But he let her choose the pace. He let her love him with
the desperation they both felt. Domini didn't drag it out; she
took them both to the brink and kicked them into sweet ecstasy.

“
I needed that,” she panted against his
throat.

I needed you.

Domini kept touching his body, as if trying to memorize
his shape. Then she sighed and nestled deeper into him. “I
could fall asleep like this.”

“
We'll have to try it sometime.” He
stroked her back and waited for her get whatever was bugging her off
her chest.

“
Cam, can I ask you something?”

“
Sure.”

“
I mean, I'd understand if you'd say
no—”

“
Just ask me.”

She blew out a breath. “Will you come to the
lawyer's office with me tomorrow?”

“
What time?”

“
Two o'clock.”

He was pretty shocked she'd asked him because she
never asked him for anything. “I'll be there.”

“
Thank you.”

Cam started to drift off. It was tough forcing himself
to leave the warmth of her bed, the comfort of her body and the
serenity she brought him. It was tougher yet when she kissed him
goodnight and it felt as if she was kissing him goodbye.

Maybe it had been a goodbye fuck, because Domini had
warned him she'd run with Anton if things didn't go in
her favor.

Fuck that.

No way would she leave here. No way would she leave him.
He'd do whatever it took to make sure she stayed.

Whatever. It. Took.

 

Chapter Sixteen

“
Domini, Deputy McKay. Good to have you both here,
have a seat.” Ginger Paulson indicated two tweed wingback
chairs in front of her desk. She scooted her leather chair in and
donned a pair of glasses.

“
Without violating confidentiality agreements, I
will tell you I filed Nadia's divorce. When it appeared Rex
might contest it, which is a rarity in this day and age, I had Nadia
on record discussing the domestic violence issues that'd
plagued their marriage. I requested a copy of the police records. At
the last minute, Rex agreed to the terms of irreconcilable
differences. He also agreed to sign over sole custody of Anton
DeMarco, to Nadia, with the stipulation he was no longer responsible
for child support, which Nadia agreed to.”

Ginger peered over the rim of her glasses. “Domini,
it is your intention to file for permanent legal guardianship of
Anton?”

“
Yes.”

“
Well, that's going to be tricky.”

“
Why?”

“
As much as I hate to admit it, the state does
have sound reasons for the recommendation of Anton's immediate
transfer from your temporary care into a foster home.”

Domini compressed Cam's hand painfully.

“
What are the reasons?” he demanded.

Ginger looked right at Domini. “You aren't a
blood relative nor are you licensed for foster care. You are a single
woman. You don't own property. You don't have family in
the area. You have a history of transient behavior. Any one of those
is a strike against you. But all of them?” She shook her head.

“
But there were circumstances with the church
group who sponsored me to the U.S. that I had no control over. They
moved around a lot and since I was here with them on a work visa…I
didn't have a choice but to follow them wherever they went.”

“
The biggest concern the state has right now, even
if you were licensed for foster care, is you are considered a flight
risk. A high flight risk.”

Cam said, “Bullshit,” but he noticed Domini
didn't immediately deny it.

Hope drained out of Domini's face. “I'm
going to lose him, aren't I? The state workers will show up and
drag him to a stranger's house where they don't know he
hates carrots and he loves to draw and he has to have his Cars
blanket at night or he can't sleep and he's scared of the
dark…” Her tears fell.

Cam felt as if he'd been gutted. Dammit, it was
his fucking job to uphold the law and he hated these situations
existed where the law was utter bullshit. Domini was the best person
to have custody of Anton. She loved him, and she'd be a great
mother to him. So what if she didn't have the official foster
care certification? So what if she didn't own a house? So what
if she was single?

A light bulb pinged and the “Hallelujah Chorus”
rang out in his head.

Bingo. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Because you were dealing with your own family issues.

“
But if Domini was married to a local law
enforcement officer, who has taken the required Social Services
classes regarding foster care, who owns property, who has family ties
to the area for several generations, what would her flight risk be
considered then?”

“
Practically zero,” Ginger answered.

“
Fine. Domini and I will get married. Today.”

“
What? Cam. No. What are you doing?” Domini
was flustered and pale and about to start hyperventilating.

Cam aimed a cool look at her and faced Ginger. “Could
you give us a minute alone please?”

Ginger didn't bat an eye at his request.
“Certainly.”

As soon as Ginger was gone, Domini blurted, “Cam,
what are you doing?”

Cam said, “Do you want Anton? Yes or no?”