The Cash Brothers

Chapter Two

“I don’t want a babysitter.”

Isi ignored Javier, who sat under the kitchen table playing with his toy cars, and focused on memorizing the Visual Basic code for her exam later in the day.

“How come Conway Twitty Cash has to watch us?” Miguel asked.

Ever since her son had learned Conway’s full name, he insisted on using it. For the tenth time, she explained, “Nicole moved to Tucson to live with her father and Mr. Conway is helping us out until I find a new sitter.”

Her child-care search had stalled over the weekend. The manager at the preschool had offered Isi the names of three women but none of them had been available to watch the boys at night while she worked at the bar. She worried she’d have to resort to the want ads in the newspaper.

“Mr. Conway’s not a girl,” Javier said.

“He certainly is not.” Conway was all male. Not only did he have a movie-star face, but the way he filled out a pair of jeans turned female heads when he strolled into the bar. Add a boyish grin to his cowboy appeal and every woman on this side of the border was in love with the man.

Too bad he wasn’t interested in being a father, because she still experienced an occasional romantic dream about Conway. The day he’d come into the bar and hit on her had been the stuff of fairy tales. Then when he’d learned she was a single mother, he’d cooled toward her. She’d wanted to stay mad at him forever, but he’d continued to visit the bar and joke around with her and in a matter of weeks they’d settled into a cozy friendship. He’d been and always would be her favorite cowboy.

Javier drove a Lego car over the top of her shoe. “Only girls babysit.”

“Boys can be sitters, too,” she said.

“Conway Twitty Cash, Conway Twitty Cash, Conway Twitty Cash, Con—”

“Enough, Miguel!” Isi shut the textbook. “Names are special and you shouldn’t make fun of someone’s name.”

“Our names are special,” Javier said.

She’d named her sons after their twin uncles Javier and Miguel whom they’d never met and never would. Surprisingly, the boys favored their namesakes. Isi’s brother Javier had been shy and her brother Miguel had been outgoing—neither had lived long enough to meet their nephews. Isi wished there was a man in her life to help raise the twins, but she’d rather go it alone as a single mom than trust the well-being of her sons to a here-one-day-gone-the-next boyfriend or their biological father, who refused to claim them.

One of the reasons her friendship with Conway had grown was because she enjoyed listening to him talk about his family. When she heard stories about him and his brothers’ antics she felt like one of his siblings.

“He’s too big for our house,” Javier said.

Isi poked her head beneath the table, wincing at the stab of pain in her nose. “Mr. Conway seems tall because we’re all short.”

“Do we have to do what Conway Twitty Cash says?” Miguel asked.

“Yes.” Isi opened the refrigerator door. “You two wash up while I make lunch.” Miguel raced to the bathroom but Javier remained beneath the table. Isi peered at him. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want you to go to school.”

“I have an important test this afternoon,” she said.

“Are you gonna go to school forever?”

“I hope not.” This was her final semester and as long as she passed all her classes, she’d earn an associate degree in business before Christmas. She pulled on her son’s shirt until he crawled into the open then she sat him on her lap. “Tell me what’s really bothering you, mi corazón?” Javier laid his head against her chest. “Mr. Conway’s a very nice man,” she said. “Did you know he has five brothers and a sister?”

Javier shook his head.

“Maybe when he gets here, you can ask him what it’s like to have to share toys with all those brothers.” She checked the wall clock. Conway would arrive shortly to drive the boys to preschool—three hours during which she wouldn’t have to worry about her sons. It was what went on after Conway picked them up from school that concerned her.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” She set Javier on his feet and gave him a gentle push in the direction of the bathroom. “Wash your hands.”

A half hour later, the boys had eaten their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and had fetched their backpacks from the bedroom when the doorbell rang.

“It’s Conway Twitty Cash!” Miguel raced to the door.

“Use the peephole,” Isi said.

Miguel climbed onto the chair next to the door and peered through the spy hole. “It’s him.” He hopped down and flung open the door. “Hi, Conway Twitty Cash.”

Conway grinned. “Hi, Miguel Lopez.”

“How come you know I’m Miguel?”

“Because you talk more than your brother.” Conway stepped inside. “Hello, Javier.”

Javi peeked at Conway from behind Isi’s legs. “Thanks for arriving early,” she said.

“No problem.” His brown-eyed gaze roamed over her body and she resisted glancing at herself to see if she’d spilled food on the front of her blouse.

She motioned to the kitchen table where she’d left a notebook open. “Important numbers are in there. The boys need to be dropped off at school by twelve-thirty and picked up at three-thirty. Supper’s between five and six. Bath time is seven. Bedtime eight. I should be home shortly after midnight.”

“Where’s the school?” Conway asked.

“Over there.” Miguel pointed at the kitchen window.

“The Tiny Tot Learn and Play is a mile down the road next to the McDonald’s.” Isi peeled Javier’s arms off her legs, kissed his cheek then gathered her backpack and laptop before kissing Miguel. “Be good for Mr. Conway. If I get a bad report, we won’t be going to the carnival this weekend.”

She took two steps toward the door before Conway blocked her path. His cologne shot straight up her nose and she sucked in a quick breath. He always smelled nice when he came into the bar. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s different about you?”

“I got a haircut,” he said.

His shaggy golden-brown hair usually hung over the collar of his shirt. The shorter style made him appear older, more mature. Less like a playboy. “I like it.” His lips curved in his trademark sexy smile. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d be tempted to run her fingers through his locks.

He followed her outside. “Don’t you want my number in case you need to get in touch with me?”

Duh. She dug her phone from her purse. “What is it?” He recited the digits. “Thanks. My cell number is in the notebook.” She turned away then stopped. “I notified the school that you’d be bringing the boys and picking them up for a few days. You’ll need to show your license each time. And don’t forget to put their booster seats in your truck.” She waved at the seats on the porch. “Thanks again!”

Conway watched Isi get into her clunker and drive off then studied his charges. The boys stood side by side, their backpacks strapped on. They wore the same outfit. Jeans, striped T-shirts—Miguel’s was red and blue and Javier’s was green and blue.

“Aren’t we gonna leave, Conway Twitty Cash?” Miguel asked.

“We can’t.”

The brothers looked at each other, then Miguel asked, “Why not?”

Conway stared at Javier’s feet.

Miguel shoved his brother. “You got different shoes on, stupid.”

“I know.” Javier jutted his chin.

Conway suspected the kid hadn’t meant to wear mismatched shoes and was trying to save face. “Cool. I used to wear a different cowboy boot on each foot when I first began rodeoing.”

“Why?” Miguel asked.

“For good luck,” Conway said. “Is that why you wear different shoes, Javier?”

The boy jiggled his head.

“I wore my good-luck boots all the time and you know what happened?”

“What?” both boys asked.

“They ran out of luck.”

Javier raced from the room and returned with matching sneakers.

“Smart man, Javier. Gotta save the good luck for stuff that matters.” Crisis averted, Conway ushered the boys out of the trailer and they raced to his truck.

“Hey, does your mom lock the door when she leaves?”

Miguel returned to the porch and plucked a key from the flowerpot of fake daisies on the first step. After Conway secured the trailer, he slipped the key into his pocket and picked up the booster seats. “You guys sit in the front while I figure out how to install these things.” Five minutes later, he said, “Okay. Get in them.”

The boys climbed in the truck, their shoes dragging across the front seat of the cab as they crawled into their boosters. “Watch the shoes, amigos.” Conway’s black Dodge was only a year old—he didn’t even allow his dates to put their makeup on in his truck. Once the boys were buckled in, he drove off.

There was nowhere to park his big truck in the preschool lot when he arrived, so he pulled into a handicapped spot. He’d no sooner turned off the engine than a woman knocked on the window.

“You can’t park here,” she said. “You don’t have a permit.”

“I’m dropping the boys off.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to use the lot across the street.”

“I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Doesn’t matter.” She planted her hands on her hips and he had no doubt that she’d tackle him to the ground if he tried to get out of the truck.

“Hang on, guys.” Conway backed out of the spot.

“That’s Mrs. Schneider,” Miguel said. “We call her Mrs. Spider ’cause she’s creepy.” The boys giggled.

“She is creepy.” Conway parked across the street then helped the boys out of their booster seats. The school bell rang, echoing above the noise from the traffic.

“We get a flag by our name if we’re late,” Miguel said.

Conway tucked both boys against his sides like footballs and said, “Hold on.” Bypassing the crosswalk he dashed across the street then set his cargo on their feet. “Lead the way.”

As soon as they entered the building, Miguel marched up to the front desk and said, “This is Conway Twitty Cash.”

The day-care employee rolled her eyes. “And I’m Loretta Lynn.”

Conway fished his wallet from his pocket. “Isi Lopez called the school and informed someone that I’d be dropping the boys off and picking them up.” He set his license on the counter.

The woman read his license. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, ma’am. I’m Conway Twitty Cash.”

Miguel grinned at the lady.

“Shouldn’t you guys hang up your backpacks?” Conway asked.

The lady handed him a clipboard and pen. “Fill out this form.”

He wrote down his full name, cell phone, social security and license numbers plus the color, make and model of his truck. Hell, he was surprised they didn’t ask for a credit card. When he finished, he turned away from the desk and plowed into Javier, who’d been standing behind him the whole time.

“Javier doesn’t like to come here,” the lady whispered then walked off to speak with a parent.

Conway guided the boy to a chair in the waiting area and sat down. “You don’t like to come here?”

The kid scuffed his shoe against the floor.

“Are the teachers mean?”

Javier shook his head.

“Are the kids mean?”

He shrugged.

Javier’s shyness probably made him an easy target for bullies. Conway peeked into the main room and saw that Miguel sat on the floor with a group of boys. He didn’t know what to do. If he left Javier at the school, he’d worry about him being picked on.

“Are you ill?” He touched the boy’s forehead. “You feel kind of warm. You think you might be coming down with a cold?”

Javier’s eyebrows scrunched together.

“Because if you’re getting sick, you shouldn’t stay here and infect the other kids.”

The boy blinked then he faked a sneeze.

“You are coming down with a cold.” Conway spoke with the head of the preschool then waited while she asked Miguel if he wanted to go home with his brother. Miguel elected to remain at school.

Now what? Conway sat in his truck staring at Javier in the rearview mirror. He’d planned to use the time the boys were in school to browse orchard sprayers at a local farm-equipment store. He needed to apply insecticide to the pecan trees before the weevils got out of hand. “You ever been to a tractor store, Javier?” The boy shook his head. “Then it’s about time you met John Deere.”

* * *

ISI TURNED IN her exam early and left the classroom. The test had been a breeze—then again she’d studied all weekend. She didn’t have the luxury of failing a class or retaking it. She’d qualified for a scholarship to attend the community college and she had to maintain a 3.0 grade point average to keep her financial aid.

She stopped at the school cafeteria for a bite to eat before her next class and while she waited in the sandwich line, she skimmed through phone messages. When she saw the missed call from the preschool, alarm bells went off inside her head. She gave up her place in line and stepped into the hallway to call the school. After learning Conway had signed out Javier because her son hadn’t felt well, she dialed Conway’s cell. No answer. She left a voicemail, asking him for an update then returned to the cafeteria.

By the time her final class of the day ended, she still hadn’t heard from Conway. She contacted the preschool again and they confirmed that Conway and Javier had returned to pick up Miguel. As soon as Isi arrived at the bar, she texted Conway. When he didn’t answer, she left another message, pleading with him to get in touch with her. Two hours later, she was about to ask her boss if she could leave work early when Conway strolled into the bar with the twins.

Relieved the three males appeared no worse for wear she delivered a drink order to a table while they claimed seats at the bar. When she approached the group, she felt Javier’s forehead. “No fever.”

Conway came to her son’s defense. “He was warm when we got to the school and I didn’t think it was a good idea to leave him there.” He ruffled Javier’s hair and Isi’s heart melted at the affectionate gesture.

“Are you feeling better, Javi?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Isi switched her attention to Conway. “Why didn’t you return my calls?” This gig wasn’t going to work, if they didn’t communicate with each other. “I was frantic wondering what was wrong with Javier.”

“I’ll try to remember to check my phone more often.”

She waved a hand in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Conway Twitty Cash doesn’t cook, Mom.” Miguel’s gaze swiveled back and forth between Isi and Conway.

Isi got a discount on her meals, but she didn’t have the extra money to pay for the boys’ food.

As if sensing her dilemma, Conway said, “It’s my treat.”

Isi guessed it wouldn’t hurt for the boys to eat at the bar this one time. She put in an order for three cheeseburger baskets with fries. While she waited tables, she kept an eye on the trio and couldn’t help feel a tiny smidgeon of envy that she wasn’t sitting with them. Whatever Conway said appeared to amuse her sons, because they giggled an awful lot. Miguel was a talker, so it didn’t surprise her that he chatted with Conway. What amazed her was that shy Javier appeared more animated. Maybe Conway’s relaxed personality put her son at ease.

That nonchalant attitude would drive Isi nuts after a while. She was a go-getter, get-things-done-do-it-now-not-later kind of woman and Conway came across as a man who went with the flow. Instead of going after the future, he was happy to let the future find him.

A half hour later, the boys had finished eating and were fooling around with the jukebox in the corner.

“That’s too much,” Isi said when Conway left forty dollars next to the empty food baskets.

“You can never tip enough for great service.” He ran his finger along the bridge of her nose. “The swelling’s gone down.”

“It’s not as sore, either.” She didn’t want to tell him that last night when she’d rolled over in bed and had pressed her face into the pillow, it had felt as if someone had stabbed her up the nose.

“I don’t think you’ll have a bump.”

“I’m not worried about that.”

“You should be, because you have a very pretty, petite nose.”

She scoffed.

“What?” He leaned closer and whispered. “Just because we’re friends, doesn’t mean I don’t still find you attractive.”

Sheesh. The guy was an incurable flirt. The last thing she needed was to allow Conway to slip past her defenses when they both knew they were all wrong for each other. “Javier wasn’t really sick, was he?”

“No. And he wouldn’t tell me why he didn’t want to stay at school.”

“There are a couple of boys who tease him, because he’s shy. Give him a little encouragement when you drop him off tomorrow.”

“You want me to give him a pep talk?”

Conway made her handling of the situation seem stupid.

“Sounds to me like someone needs to tell the bullies to keep their distance from Javier.”

“Stay out of this, Conway.” The last thing she wanted was her babysitter threatening her sons’ classmates. “Red said I could leave early if it’s not busy tonight.”

He slid off the stool. “How’d your test go?”

Startled by the question, she didn’t immediately answer.

“You did have an exam today, didn’t you?”

“It went fine. Thanks for asking.” She wasn’t used to anyone inquiring about her schoolwork.

“See you later.” Conway called to the boys and they left the bar.

Isi ignored another sharp twinge of envy when neither of her sons waved goodbye or acted as if they’d missed her. As a matter of fact, they seemed downright gleeful that they were stuck with Conway.

She returned to work, hoping the night would pass quickly. By the time her shift ended and she arrived back at the trailer, she was exhausted and she still had schoolwork to do before going to bed. When she got out of the car and surveyed the mess in the yard, she groaned. Bikes, pogo sticks, footballs, basketballs, baseballs, mitts, bats, scooters and skateboards were strewn about.

Why hadn’t Conway demanded the boys put their toys away before turning in for the night? She thought about doing it herself, but she was too tired. When she entered the trailer, the place was dark, save for the light above the kitchen stove. She stood by the door until her eyes adjusted to the dimness.

Conway slept on the love seat, legs hanging over the end, boots off. His sexy sprawl triggered a vision of her coming home to him every night—until he found the perfect woman and left Isi out in the cold.

She padded closer to the couch and studied him. Why had he cut his hair? Had he wanted to impress her? Dream on. The shorter hairstyle drew attention to his square jaw and full lips—a mouth made for kissing as she’d discovered a long time ago.

They’d only shared a couple of kisses before Conway had learned she was a single mother, but those kisses had been amazing. The instant their lips had touched, sparks ignited. He’d nibbled her lower lip, making her yearn for more then he’d thrust his tongue inside her mouth and... Isi swallowed a groan and shoved the memory aside.

She glanced at the living room—toys scattered everywhere. When had her sons accumulated so much junk? She’d bought the toys at second-hand stores and rummage sales, but maybe she’d gone overboard. She was the first to admit that she spoiled the twins because she felt guilty for not spending more time with them. Guilty that they didn’t have a father. Guilty that they didn’t have any family except her.

She retreated to the kitchen, where a sink full of dirty dishes greeted her. The boys must have used a clean cup each time they’d gotten a drink. Next, she went into the bathroom and felt their toothbrushes. Dry as a bone—they’d gone to bed without brushing their teeth. She didn’t have dental insurance, so she was strict about making the boys brush and use a daily fluoride rinse. She walked down the hall to their bedroom and poked her head inside. They were sound asleep in their twin beds—fully clothed.

Isi brushed her teeth, changed into her sleeping shorts and T-shirt then slipped into bed, forgetting all about waking Conway and sending him home.

Chapter Three

The rumble of a truck engine woke Isi at the crack of dawn.

Conway! Had he slept on her couch all night long?

She sprang from the bed and raced through the trailer. When she stepped outside, only the taillights of his truck were visible as he turned out of the neighborhood. Her gaze skimmed the yard. Bless Conway’s big cowboy heart—he’d put all the toys in the box next to the storage shed and had left the boys’ booster seats on the steps. When she went inside to make coffee, she noticed he’d also picked up the living room. Every Lego and building block, toy car, board game and action figure had been stowed in the colored bins against the wall. And in the kitchen, there wasn’t a dirty dish in sight.

A lump formed in her throat. She’d thought she known Conway pretty well after their talks at the bar. So how had it escaped her notice, that hiding beneath all that sexy charisma and charm was a considerate man?

Conway’s thoughtfulness reminded her of how much she missed her best friend, Erica. Isi had met Erica three years ago at the community college when they’d worked together on a class project. Erica had always been there for Isi, helping her out with the boys when the sitter had become ill. This past spring, Erica had transferred to the University of Southern California to pursue a nursing degree and live closer to her boyfriend.