Free Roughneck Cowboy by Marin Thomas

hallway and spotted Travis. “Here he is now.”
    â€œWow. Wish I hadn’t put on those extra ten pounds over Thanksgiving.” Patsy sighed. “Not that it matters. A guy like that wouldn’t give girls like us a second look, would he, Sara?”
    Although Sara was used to people viewing her as a simple unadorned woman, Patsy’s comment still stung.
    â€œHello, ladies,” Travis greeted. “Sorry I’m late.”
    â€œYou’re helping with the Christmas party?” Darla asked.
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    The deep timbre of his voice sent a shiver down Sara’s spine—or maybe it was the heady scent of his cologne. She swallowed a sigh. The roughneck could ma’am her any day and all day. “Travis Cartwright, meet Patsy Reynolds and Darla Kemper.” She motioned to each woman. “My room mothers.”
    â€œNice to meet you, Travis. Gotta run.” Darla rushed off.
    Patsy scribbled her telephone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Travis. “Call me if you need help finding a tree.” Patsy winked, then followed Darla.
    Travis frowned at the note.
    â€œPatsy’s divorced with four children.” Sara left out the obvious—the single mother was on the hunt for a husband. Sara wandered over to her desk and organizedpapers, willing her heart to cease pounding. Her memory of Travis hadn’t done him justice. His broad frame filled out his cable-knit sweater, reminding her of a muscular New England fisherman.
    He strolled around the classroom. “So this is Charlie’s new home away from home.”
    â€œHer desk is over there.” Sara nodded to the opposite side of the room.
    â€œHow did Charlie do this week? When I spoke to her on the phone, she sounded excited about school.”
    â€œShe did great.” Charlie had a rough first day when two boys had made fun of her name. After Sara had explained that Charlie’s grandmother had recently died, the boys had decided that Charlie was a cool nickname for a girl. “She’s made a new friend—Mary Parker. They eat lunch together and play during recess.”
    â€œCharlie mentioned Mary.” Travis stopped in front of her desk. “Are you busy?”
    â€œNo.” She’d planned to grade papers until five. “Why?”
    â€œWould you like to grab a bite to eat?” His lips curled in a sexy half-grin. “You can tell me about the tree I’ve been assigned to find for the classroom.”
    For half a second Sara stopped breathing, then she chided herself for her silly reaction. Travis wasn’t asking her out on a date. A man like him would never be interested in a woman such as herself. Good thing, because she had no intention of falling for another handsome man—been there. Done that. Paid a high price. When she was ready to dive into another relationship, she’d pick a steady Eddy, not a tall, muscular, tanned, handsome, sexy roughneck. “Patsy or Darla could give you a call next week,” she said.
    His expression sobered. “There’s something else we need to discuss.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œDominick.”
    The mention of her pesky neighbor startled Sara like a cold splash of water in her face. She should have expected that Dominick would send his son to do his dirty work. Maybe dinner wasn’t such a bad idea. By the end of the meal Travis would understand no one bullied Sara Sanders. “How about Beulah’s?” she suggested.
    â€œI’ll wait for you in the parking lot.”
    As soon as Travis left the room, Sara’s jittery nerves calmed. Even though she stood five-ten and weighed—never mind—Travis was still an imposing man. She gathered the student grammar tests and crammed them into her schoolbag, then put on her coat and flipped off the lights before shutting the classroom door.
    When she reached the parking lot, she noticed Travis’s truck idling in the