Rescue Me

his steering wheel. “Hey there.”
    “Hi, Vinny.” His sister’s voice filled the cab of his truck. She was the only person on the planet to call him Vinny. “Is it too late to call?”
    Obviously not. “What’s up?”
    “Not a lot. How’s life at the Gas and Go?”
    “So far so good.” They talked about his business plan and when he expected to reopen. “Luraleen is still in Vegas,” he said. “I wonder if she’ll get married by an Elvis impersonator.”
    “Funny. Ha ha.”
    Yeah, it was funny now. Six years ago when Autumn had married her ex in Vegas, not so funny. “How’s Conner?”
    “Good. School’s out in a little over a month.” Vince turned onto the highway and she added, “He misses you.”
    His heart felt like it caved in. He’d helped raise his nephew. Seen him almost every day of his life until a few months ago, but he wasn’t Conner’s dad. As much as he hated Sam Leclaire, he loved Conner more. He’d left so Sam could more easily step in and be the father his nephew needed. If he’d stayed, the two would have thrown a few punches by now.
    “Conner asks when you’re coming home.”
    Home? He didn’t know where that was anymore. “I don’t know. I have a lot going on.”
    “With the store?”
    She was fishing. “Yep.”
    “Friend?”
    He laughed. His sister thought he was great and didn’t understand why he wasn’t good relationship material. Oh, she knew he didn’t have long-term relationships. She just didn’t understand why. “You know I always find friends.” Although, at the moment, he had only one friend and he was fine with that. There was nothing boring about Sadie Hollowell. “Any big events coming up?”
    “My wedding.”
    Oh yeah.
    “It’s in a few months, Vin.”
    He knew. He was just choosing to forget. “Still getting married in Maui?”
    “And you’re still going to be there.”
    Shit. He’d rather get kicked in the nuts. “Do I need to rent a tux?”
    “No. I’ll take care of everything. Just bring yourself. And Vin?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I want you to give me away.”
    He looked out the window. Give his sister away? To the unworthy son of a bitch? God, he hated that guy. Perhaps with a passion that wasn’t all that healthy.
    “Dad hasn’t been in my life for over twenty years. I want my big brother.” He didn’t want to. God, he hated the idea. “Please, Vin.”
    He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. “Of course,” he said, and looked at the road in front of his headlights. “Anything you want, Autumn.” Which meant he was going to have to make peace with the son of a bitch before the wedding.
    Shit.

Chapter Thirteen
    S adie found some nonskid socks with horseshoes on them at a Target in Amarillo. Her daddy still groused and grumped about not needing anything, but she noticed that he always wore the cozy socks she brought him.
    She’d also stopped at the Victoria’s Secret in the mall and bought a black lace bra and matching panties. Last night Vince hadn’t seemed bored—yet. And she . . . she was walking a thin line between liking him and liking him too much. Between liking sex with him and mistaking it for something more. More than warm skin pressed together in all the right places. More than him knowing where to touch without asking. More than just wanting and craving his touch until neither wanted more.
    Last night when she’d looked at him across the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub, watching her, she’d almost thought about more. His eyes, hot and interested in her hands rubbing lotion on her body. They’d already had sex twice and he’d wanted more. She hadn’t meant to mention that he groaned “hooyah.” She’d been talking about something else entirely. She couldn’t even recall what she’d been going on about, but the way he’d looked at her had made her brain go all mushy and made her want more, too. Made her go out and buy new underwear. Not that she’d get to wear the new underwear for four days. She’d started her period that morning, something that was always met with either relief or irritation, depending on her sex life, no matter how condom conscientious she was.
    She wasn’t positive that Vince would see her new underwear. She hoped so. She liked him, but there were no guarantees in life. Especially when her life was so up in the air. Living long-term in Lovett wasn’t in her future, at least not any time soon. As far as she knew, it wasn’t in his, either. They were just