Dan All Over Again. Barbara Dunlop

I grab some burgers and swing by?”

      Kelly knew she should refuse, but she really was more exhausted than she’d thought. “I’d like that, James. But could you bring a grilled cheese sandwich for Will?”

      He didn’t respond for a moment, and if it hadn’t been for the music blaring over the phone line, she would have thought they’d lost their connection. Finally he said, “Great. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

      “All right,” she said, the words coming out thick, sounding like someone else. The connection went dead then, and Kelly listened to the buzz for a minute before returning the phone to its cradle.

      Inviting James to her room had been foolhardy. She knew better. The knowledge that he would be there shortly sent an adrenaline rush through her. But she had a responsibility to her son. She’d made a promise to him and to herself, a promise she intended to keep. She wasn’t about to let an excess of hormones and one sexy cowboy get in the way of her child’s future.

      When James arrived, she would take the food, thank him for his trouble and ignore him while he visited with Will. She had fallen for James’s good looks once. No, that wasn’t necessarily true. It had been so much more than just his looks, and she reminded herself of why she’d come back.

      Kelly had only invited James over because she was too tired to go and get Will’s dinner. Anyone could make a mistake…once. From now on, she would stay focused on her goal. She would not fail. Her son’s future depended on it.

      As of this minute James Scott could walk naked into the room and she would not notice. It was a simple matter of discipline and concentration.

      Of course, she’d never been able to hold a thought around him.

      With or without his clothes.