Spare Hearts Read online

  Sterling returned after a bit… fully clothed. “Damn, it’s late. I better get goin’.” He smothered a yawn behind his hand.

  “Me, too. Well, it was real nice meetin’ you.” Feeling awkward, she held her hand out to shake his.

  “Don’t hurt my feelings, darlin’.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest. “Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?”

  “Oh, I just”—she circled his neck with her arms—“I guess I’m not very good at this.”

  Sterling bent and brushed his mouth over hers. “So sweet,” he whispered then kissed her again.

  Candy shivered from the tender contact and opened for him. Her body melted against his as he caressed her lips and tongue.

  He pulled away and gazed down at her, his pretty blue eyes sparkling. “May I walk you to your car?”

  “With a kiss like that, how could I say no?” She patted his chest. “Get your stuff.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He did as she asked.

  Candy grabbed her purse from behind the counter and shut down the remaining lights in the alley.

  He stepped outside and waited for her as she set the alarm unit and exited then locked the building.

  “I’m parked just over there.” She pointed.

  “Lead the way.” He rested his hand on the small of her back as they started walking toward her car.

  She shivered again, but rubbed her arms as though the chill in the night air bothered her. Truth was, it was the feel of his calloused hand on her lower back that made her skin prickle into goose bumps. She liked it. A lot.

  “Bit of a chill in the air,” he said.

  “The nights have been gettin’ cooler for sure.” She dug in her purse for her keys. “Well, here I am.” She unlocked her car door and opened it.

  “I had a real nice time, Candy.”

  “Me, too.” She tossed her purse onto the front seat.

  Sterling clasped her upper arm and turned her toward him then circled her waist with his arms.

  She met his gaze and let him kiss her one last time.

  “Take care of yourself.” She let her hands fall to his shoulders. “And good luck in that tournament.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be seein’ ya, Candy.” He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

  She pulled from his embrace and settled in the front seat of her car. “Yeah, sure.”

  Sterling smiled. “You’ll see.” He closed the door for her.

  Candy backed out of the space and pulled away, giving him a wave as she passed him. “Be seeing me? Probably not, cowboy. But it’s a nice thought,” she mumbled as she glanced at him in the rearview mirror. What the hell had he meant by that anyway? She wouldn’t be seeing him again. He’d be gone by morning, and God willing, she’d escape anyone finding out about her little slip. I won’t be seeing anythin’. It was how it had to be.

  Chapter 7

  The next day after unpacking and settling into his room, Sterling headed for breakfast at Flossie’s. It was a short walk down Main Street. Hell, everything was a short walk in this small town. After eating, he took a stroll down the sidewalk to see just where he’d landed. Every one of the businesses and buildings looked as if time had stopped in the mid-fifties. Circling back, he ended at the bowling alley in search of Mason.

  Sterling stepped up to the front desk. “Howdy, I’m looking for Mason Jennings.”

  “You don’t look like a bill collector.”

  “No, sir, can’t say I am. My manager sent me here and said to ask for Mason.”

  “Ah. Then you must be Sterling Dey.” He stuck his hand out to shake. “You found me. I’m Mason and this here is Bowling Dreams.”

  “Nice to meet ya.” Sterling grasped the man’s hand and greeted him properly.

  “Troy said you were gearing up for a bit of a comeback in Fort Worth next month. How ya feelin’ about that?” Mason leaned his elbows on the counter.

  “Pretty good. Actually pretty damn good.” Sterling fished a sucker out of his shirt pocket and unwrapped it.

  “Like hearin’ that.” Mason rubbed the back of his neck. “Tried my luck at the pro circuit myself. Turned out Dad’s shoes were a bit too big to fill. Guess I’m better behind the counter than on the lanes.”

  “Well, as long as I keep this shoulder in check, I think I’m throwin’ better than I ever have.” Sterling popped the sucker in his mouth.

  “Troy filled me in on your plan and he believes in ya, so he pulled in a few favors and here we are. You can have run of the lanes as much as you need till you head out. Food and alcohol, you have to cover, but sodas are on the house. You win, you mention us in any interview you can squeeze us into. Deal?”

  “Can’t argue with that, and I appreciate it, Mason.” Sterling stuck his hand out to seal the deal. “I don’t plan on losin’ neither.” There was no way he could imagine himself happy being stuck in a small town running an alley instead of competing in one.

  “I’m here most days, and I’ll introduce you to my night manager. I’ll fill the staff in on you, and you just do your thing… That’d be winning.”

  “Fair enough.” He liked this guy already. Straight to the point and seemed genuinely interested in Sterling making his way back to the pros. Now it was up to Sterling to make it happen.

  “How ’bout I put you down on lane three? Nobody should bother you there.” Mason looked at his computer screen.

  “If it’s not too much trouble, I’m kinda partial to ten. Right out in the middle of everything.”

  “Fine by me if you don’t think you’ll be bothered.”

  “Not like it can be any worse than playing a tournament. Besides, ten recently became my lucky number.” Sterling reached for his bag and wondered if Mason regretted not making it to the pros or if he was honestly content where he ended up.

  “All yours.” Mason gestured toward the lane directly across from his counter. “Have at it.”

  * * *

  Candy slapped blindly at her buzzing alarm clock, seeking the snooze button. Good Lord, she was tired. She’d tossed and turned half the damn night, her mind filled with thoughts of Sterling, and what they’d done in the alley.

  She’d never been the type of girl to have a one-night stand, but hell, it’d been forever since she’d had sex. Even if a little bit of shame threatened to rise at her behavior, it wasn’t enough to drown out the butterflies that took flight when she thought of how good every naughty minute of it felt. And she’d never see him again anyway. No harm done.

  Candy turned over and tried for a few more minutes of sleep before her alarm buzzed again. She silenced it, pulled the sheets back, and sat up. She winced as the slight aches in her body, the product of some long overdue loving, made themselves known.

  She looked down and noticed her knees were bruised, too. Good Lord, what did her backside look like? Sterling had spanked her so many times she’d lost count. She giggled at the thought and rose from the bed. She needed a shower.

  The hot water did its job of easing some of the soreness out of her muscles as well as waking her up fully. After doing her hair and makeup, she sat down at the table in the little kitchen of her trailer and had some breakfast. According to the time, it was past noon, but it was still morning for her.

  After spending the day taking care of her normal Saturday activities, braving the crowds at the Shoppin’ Basket, to restock her cupboards, and filling the car with gas, she headed back to her trailer and changed for work. Every so often Sterling would drift into her mind and she’d sigh, loving the fact that she had a secret that would keep her going for a long while.

  Candy arrived at work a little earlier than she needed to. Antsy enough to jump out of her skin, she figured she’d stop in the alley bar and chat with Trudie for a bit, though she did not plan to share her secret with her. Trudie was sweet but she was the gossip queen of town. And Candy didn’t want anyone knowing her business.

  “Howdy, Trudie!” Candy took a seat on one of the black vinyl bar stools.


  “Hey there, darlin’. Don’t you just look cute as a button tonight.” Trudie leaned across the bar top and gave Candy a peck on the cheek. “What brings you in early?”

  “Nothin’ much, just feelin’ a little antsy. How’s your day goin’ so far?”

  Trudie placed a glass of Diet in front of her. “My day got a whole lot more interestin’ when I saw tall, cool, and silver was back and bowling on lane ten again.”

  Candy started choking on the drink of Coke she’d barely swallowed. “What’d you say?” she squeaked out as she reached for a napkin and coughed a few more times.

  “My Lord, child. Are you okay?”

  Candy wiped her mouth. “What’d you say?”

  “The good pickin’s that was in last night is here. Mason said he’s gonna be in town for the next month, training for that tourney in Fort Worth.” Trudie turned to set some new bottles on the back ledge. “Guess he’ll be in most days, maybe nights, too.”

  “You sure it’s the same guy?”

  “Sugar, I never make a mistake where a good-lookin’ man is concerned. You know better than that.” Trudie jerked her chin toward the exit into the alley. “Go see for yourself.”

  “All right then.” Candy rose from her seat and headed for the doors.

  Shit fire and save the matches, Sterling was going to be here for a month? No, Trudie had to be mistaken. Good Lord, she hoped she was mistaken. She couldn’t see him again. That’s not how this was supposed to work.

  She peeked her head out, and clear as day, on that damn lane ten, stood tall, cool, and silver lining up a shot. Holy shit. What the hell am I gonna do now?

  Chapter 8

  Strike! The pins shattered in the tenth frame and Sterling watched every one of them fall as if he’d walked down the lane and kicked them over himself. Damn, he was feeling good and wanted that championship so bad he could taste it. His ball traveled back up the ball return and came to rest as Sterling stared up at his score array on the overhead monitor. All strikes except three frames in which he still managed to pick up the spares. Come on, ol’ man, you got one more in ya.

  With an arsenal of determination stored up, Sterling picked up his ball and went through his tried-and-true routine as he stepped to the line and unleashed a blur of spinning blue and silver down the boards. Again, he held his form and watched the pins fall.

  All of them.

  The crash echoed off the lanes. Ever since he started bowling, that resounding explosion of pins always painted a picture of splinters flying everywhere. He knew it was a ridiculous thought, but it made him laugh every time.

  Time to ice the shoulder, do some stretching, and grab dinner. Not necessarily in that order. Sitting down, he unlaced and took off his bowling shoes, replacing them with his slightly worn cowboy boots. As he packed away his wrist brace in his bag, something, or rather, someone caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

  Sure enough, there was Candy. Trying her best not to be obvious, and failing. This was going to be one interesting month if she was planning on hiding in the shadows the whole time. Sterling had found it hard enough to shake off the constant flashbacks of the night before so he could practice. The thought of her bouncing around the alley just out of arm’s reach was enough to send his heart racing in frustration. One thing for sure, he was not done with that girl, not in the slightest.

  The voice of his manager kept echoing through his mind, reminding him to focus, to avoid distractions. Yet even with the replays of his first encounter with Candy threatening to take his mind off the game, he seemed to be dead on almost every time he sent the ball down the lane. Is there such a thing as a good distraction?

  By the time he’d finished packing his ball away in its bag, she was gone. Sterling hefted the bag off the ground and headed for the bar. Let’s see if I can surprise her. He found the second entrance to the bar farther down the alley from where he first spied her looking out. Maybe he could outflank her and give her a thrill.

  Sterling walked into the dimly lit lounge and found his target half sitting on a stool and leaning up with her elbows on the bar, talking to the woman behind it. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, and it was hard to pull his eyes away from her sexy curves and, damn, all that thick dirty blond hair cascading over her shoulders.

  He walked up behind her and let his bag drop to the floor beside her stool.

  The loud thunk made Candy squeak in surprise and she practically fell off her stool.

  “Howdy, ma’am, care to say hello to an ol’ cowboy?” Sterling tipped his hat.

  “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a girl like that. ’Bout gave me a heart attack.” Candy’s cheeks flushed bright red. “And what’s with the ma’am stuff?”

  “Just bein’ polite and failing at being cute, I guess.” He leaned against a nearby stool. Had she lost interest already?

  Looking over at the bartender, he extended his hand to greet her. “Howdy, I’m Sterling Dey, nice to meet ya.”

  “Hey sugar, I’m Trudie Bennett.” She popped her gum. “Get ya anything, hon?”

  “Regular Coke would be great, thanks. Need a refill?” He looked back to Candy to find she had a look on her face as though she’d seen a white rabbit and had gone down the hole in pursuit of Alice. “You okay, Candy?”

  She blinked. “Huh? No thank you, Trudie’s got me covered. Plus, my shift starts in a few minutes and I’m gonna have to go clock in soon.”

  “Guess that means I can’t invite you to join me for dinner tonight.” Sterling swirled his drink with his straw, debating whether that was the best idea considering his agenda for the month. He had too much riding on his goal to go pro again, but screw it; he was going for it anyway. The sex was amazing and he genuinely liked Candy.

  “Really? Dinner? Ain’t you the sweetest thang.” Trudie forced her way into the conversation. “Ain’t that sweet?” She smacked Candy’s elbow.

  She rubbed her elbow and glared in Trudie’s direction. “Knock it off. You know I gotta work tonight.” She looked back at Sterling, “Thank you, really, but I do have to work tonight.”

  “Well, I can appreciate that. How ’bout it, though? Another night?” Sterling sipped his drink. “You can’t possibly have to work every night.” Hope coursed through his body as his mind raced with how well they’d fit the night before.

  “You want me to go check your schedule right quick, hon?” Trudie beamed.

  Candy stared back at Trudie and practically growled, “That isn’t necessary, thank you. I can check my own schedule.”

  “Lighten up, sweetie. Ya gotta eat sometime.” Trudie crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Tell ya what, I’m thinkin’ I caught you off guard.” He placed a hand on hers. “Go work your shift, give it some thought. I’ll be here all month and the offer stands.”

  Sterling turned back to Trudie. “Where do you recommend eatin’ around here? I know you gotta have a favorite place.”

  “Favorite? Well the Brandin’ Iron is probably one of the best sit-downs around here, that or Flossie’s. But if you just want to get something to go, the Pak-a-Sak is the way to go.” Trudie finished drying off a couple tall glasses and placed them back on their shelf.

  “Pak-a-Sak, huh?” Sterling raised an eyebrow. “Since I won’t have company just yet, I think I may just have to check that place out tonight. Much obliged, Trudie. You ladies have a good night, I’ll see y’all soon.” He picked up his bowling bag and headed toward the exit, turning his head to look back at Candy one more time.

  * * *

  Candy watched Sterling exit the bar toward the parking lot. She turned back to the bar top and hung her head in her hands. “Oh God. This can’t be happenin’.”

  “What in Sam Hill has gotten into you?”

  “I seem to have lost my damn mind, that’s what.”

  “I guess so, seein’ as though you just turned down a dinner date with tall, cool, and silver.” Trudie leaned forward and crossed her ar
ms in front of her on the bar top.

  Candy groaned. “Just let it go.”

  Trudie snorted. “You know by now that ain’t gonna happen.”

  “I need to get clocked in.” Candy stood.

  Trudie narrowed her gaze. “You let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”

  “Thanks. See you later, Trudie.”

  “ ’Bye, sugar. I’ll be here all night.”

  Candy left the bar and clocked in for her shift. A month? He was going to be here for a whole month? How the hell could she avoid him? Sweet Lord, it was just supposed to be a one-night stand! Get a little play between the sheets or, in her case, on the bowling lane and move on down the road. And now he wanted to take her to dinner?

  She walked behind the front counter in a daze, blew past Mason, and put her purse in the back office.

  “Hello to you, too,” Mason said when she came back out of the office with a fresh cash drawer in her hands.

  “Hey. Sorry.” She placed the drawer on the counter. “You ready to shift over?”

  “Sure am.” Mason stretched then pulled his drawer from the register. “Oh, one thing, there’s gonna be a guy here from New Mexico for the next few weeks, final training for the tourney in Fort Worth. Name’s Sterling Dey.”

  Candy nodded and deposited her drawer in the register.

  “His lane time’s free.” He stepped away from the counter and into the back office.

  Thanks for the update. Candy rolled her eyes and grabbed the clipboard for the night’s Rock-n-Bowl sign-ups. There weren’t many. Damn, maybe they’d get some walk-ins.

  “Have a good night, Candy.” Mason stepped around the counter.

  “You, too. Tell Shirley hey for me.” She set the clipboard down. Time to get her shit together. Chances were good Sterling wouldn’t be back tonight. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d just be practicing during the day.