Shoulda Been A Cowboy (37 page)

“
Promise?”

Cam swatted her on the ass. “Feed me, woman. I'll
need to keep up my strength.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Two weeks later…

“
Please no. Come on.” Domini turned the
ignition key again.

Nothing.

“
I don't have time for this. I really
don't.”

The next try had the same result of an empty click. The
damn car was dead.

Domini wanted to beat her hands on the steering wheel in
pure frustration. She knew nothing about cars. Nothing. At least the
stupid thing had broken down in the school parking lot and not in the
middle of the road.

“
What are we gonna do?” Anton asked.

“
Walk to the diner, I guess. And hope the repair
shop can look at it tomorrow.”

“
Why can't Cam look at it now? He probably
knows a lot about cars.”

Domini froze. She'd handled every little thing in
her life for so long it never crossed her mind to ask someone for
help.

Cam's not someone. He's your husband.

She reached for her cell phone and dialed. She was
patched straight through to him.

“
Hello, wife. You never call me at work. What's
the occasion?”

“
Nothing that will make you happy. My stupid car
died.”

“
Where are you?”

“
In the school parking lot.”

“
Hang tight. I'll be there in five.”

“
But—” and she heard a dial tone. She
looked over at Anton.

He smirked. “Told ya.”

As soon as Cam arrived, he checked the engine and did
mysterious manly stuff beneath the hood. Then he sauntered over to
where Domini and Anton waited.

“
What's wrong with it?”

“
The starter is shot. The repair shop will have to
order the part so it looks like we're carpooling for the next
couple days.”

“
That won't work. I need my own car. I have
to be—”

“
Well, princess, we don't have a choice
about sharing a ride, unless you stashed another vehicle someplace I
don't know about?”

Domini shook her head.

“
Then that settles it.”

“
I'm working from five until close tonight.
Do you really want to wake Anton up at eleven and drive back into
town to get me?”

“
No, but I'd do it.” Cam's eyes
held a challenge. “What's wrong with you driving my truck
tonight?”

“
You'd trust me with it?”

“
I trust you with everything, Domini.” Cam
touched her cheek. “Every. Damn. Thing.”

When Cam uttered such sweet words she wanted to burst
out in song.

Anton sighed. “Can I sit in the truck if you guys
are gonna kiss and junk now so I don't hafta watch?”

“
Do you have all your stuff out of Domini's
car?” Cam asked.

“
Yeah.”

“
Then climb on in, sport, and close your eyes
'cause there's gonna be some serious smooching going on.”

She smiled when Anton sighed again.

Cam situated them chest to chest. “I wish we had
time for kissing and junk, but I know you have to work. I'm off
duty now, so why don't you drive us home and bring the truck
back into town.”

“
You're sure?”

“
Yep. Nowhere I need to go tonight.”

“
What will you guys be doing?”

“
I dunno. We'll think of something.”

“
That's what worries me.” Domini
kissed his chin and snatched his keys.

 

***

 

“
More?” Cam asked Anton.

“
Nope.” Anton pushed aside his empty bowl.

Cam rolled the wax pouch and shoved it inside the Cap'n
Crunch box. “This was a new box and now it's half empty.
Domini is gonna know we had cereal for supper.”

“
We could tell her it's gone because…it
spilled?”

“
Lying is never a good choice. We'll have to
come clean if she asks, okay?”

“
Okay. But only if she asks, right?”

Cam smiled. “You're learning. You rinse the
bowls and I'll take the garbage out.” Cam practically
dragged the bag he was so dead on his feet. After dumping the trash,
he trudged up the back deck. Maybe Anton wouldn't mind if they
just called it a night right now.

He snorted. Yeah, nothing seven-year-olds liked better
than hitting the hay at six thirty. As Cam tried to think of
something entertaining he and Anton could do, he misjudged the next
step and fell on his ass with a loud crash, painfully twisting his
bum leg in the process.

“
Fuck!” He hissed against the sudden pain.
“Fuck fuck fuck! Motherfucking piece of shit!”

The sliding glass door opened. Footsteps vibrated the
wooden deck as Anton raced toward him. “Holy crap. Are you
okay?”

No. Fuck no. Cam couldn't put pressure on his
stump even if it hadn't detached from the prosthesis. “Can
you run into my bedroom and get my crutches?”

“
Um. Sure. Where are they?”

“
By the nightstand.”

He ran back inside.

Less than a minute later Cam heard the clatter of metal
and opened his eyes. Anton held out the crutches. “Here.”

“
Thanks.” Cam struggled upright. With the
aid of the crutches he made it into the house without falling on his
ass.

Anton stayed behind him. Watchful. Sometimes the kid was
so much like Domini he was surprised Anton hadn't sprung from
her womb.

His stump hadn't detached, but it'd been
wrenched hard enough Cam knew in order to wear the prosthetic at work
tomorrow, he couldn't wear it for the rest of the night.

So much for hiding in his room. He couldn't leave
Anton unattended.

“
Cam?”

He glanced over his shoulder and realized he was
blocking the doorway. “Sorry.” He hopped sideways. “Can
you get by now?”

“
Yeah. Do you need any more help?”

“
Nope. I've got it,” he replied
briskly.

Anton's smile slipped. “Oh. So what're
you gonna do now?”

“
Go to my room, get changed and take this off.
Why? Did you need something?”

Anton shrugged. “I need help with my homework.”

“
They're giving you homework in second
grade?”

“
Spelling. You just have to read the words and I
write 'em down.”

“
I can probably handle that. Get your stuff out
and set up at the breakfast bar. I'll be right back.”

Cam ditched his uniform and slipped on an old army PT
shirt and a pair of sweatpants altered into shorts. They hung low
enough that the fabric covered his stump completely. He stared at
himself in the bathroom mirror. Why was he afraid of the stares and
questions of a seven-year-old boy?

Talk about ridiculous.

Still, he was uncomfortable shuffling into the kitchen.

Anton's head lifted. He automatically focused on
the empty space below Cam's left thigh. Then when he realized
he'd been staring, his cheeks reddened and he quickly turned
back to his notebook.

Cam took the barstool to the left of Anton. He propped
his crutches on the support beam that framed the breakfast bar area
and leaned across the countertop. “So? Whatcha got?”

Paper rattled and Anton slid a sheet in front of him.
“Read me those words on the left.”

“
Starting with
imagine
?”

“
Yep.” Anton waited, pencil poised above the
wide-ruled lines, car-shaped eraser at the ready.

“
The first word is: delight.”

He frowned. “That's not the first word. The
first word is
imagine
.”

“
I like mixing things up. Keeping you on your
toes. Making sure you can spell them out of order.”

“
Domini doesn't do it that way.”

“
I'm not Domini.”

It didn't take long and they were through the
list.

“
The last word is: antidisestablishmentarianism.”

Anton's blue eyes bugged out. “What? That's
not on the list.”

Cam grinned. “I'm kidding. When I was in
school that was the longest word in the dictionary. I'm sure
there's something worse than that these days. I just wanted to
see if you were paying attention.”

“
I bet I could spell it.”

“
I bet you could too. The last word is
resist
.”

Anton smiled when Cam checked his paper and he'd
gotten all the words right.

“
You are a great speller.”

He blushed and ducked his head.

Cam knew nothing about Anton's school activities
besides when the bus let him off. That was pretty sad actually.

So change it.

“
I'll bet you're good at math, too?”

“
Yep.”

“
I never was worth a crap in math.”

“
Any more homework?”

“
Nah.” Anton's legs swung beneath the
barstool.

Silence filled the air except for the hum of the
dishwasher.

Man. He sucked at this.

You're never going to get better if you don't
try. Start simple.

Cam sighed. “You wanna watch TV with me or
something?”

“
Sure.”

When Anton plopped down on Cam's left side, close
enough their hips touched, Cam didn't mind the invasion of his
space as much as he'd thought.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Week Eight…

The queasy feeling wouldn't let up.

Domini ate crackers, drank soda water, but every time
she stood up too fast, she got dizzy.

“
Domini, sweetie, you okay?” Neva asked.

“
Just a little lightheaded. I'm sure it'll
pass. I haven't been getting much sleep.”

Neva smiled in her sweet, grandmotherly way. “Child,
with all that you've been through in the last two months…not
to mention being a newlywed…I don't imagine letting you
rest is on the top of the deputy's agenda.”

How true that was. Cam was insatiable. He was fabulous.
And Domini was so crazy in love with her husband it wasn't
funny.

She patted Domini's hand. “If you need
anything, you let me know, okay?”

“
Thanks, Neva.”

Domini noticed a spatula underneath the prep station and
bent to pick it up. When she stood, spots danced in front of her
eyes, her hearing muffled, and then everything went black.

A lifetime later she heard, “Domini? Can you hear
me?”

She was cold. Her head hurt. And why couldn't she
open her eyes? “Yes.”

“
Stop pissing around with this, Dave, and call the
ambulance.”

That brought Domini out of her stupor. “No. I'm
fine, you can't—”

“
Easy.” Gentle hands pushed her shoulders
down. “We'll get you taken care of.”

“
What happened?”

“
You passed out, that's what happened,”
Beatrice snapped. “Dammit, you went down like a sack of
potatoes.”

“
I don't remember.”

“
Which is why we need to call the ambulance,
because something ain't right with you.”

Domini opened her eyes. “You can't do that.
Cam is on duty and all ambulance calls go through dispatch first.
He'd hear it and freak out.”

“
Honey, he is your husband. He should freak out.
He should be there when you talk to the doctor.”

“
No. He's got—”
no
idea I've been keeping something really big from him,
“—too much going on today to hold my hand when I'm
perfectly fine.”

Bea wouldn't let up. “I don't know
what your deal is, Domini, but you're not perfectly fine. I'll
agree not to call an ambulance, if you let Neva drive you to the
hospital. Right now.”

Dave and Neva murmured their agreement with Bea's
assessment.

“
No hospital.”

“
The doctor then. I'll call Doc Monroe. I
know she'll get you in right away.”