Page 70 of Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars (Rock Canyon, Idaho 2)

Unable to resist her homely cuteness, Gemma picked her up and held her against her chest, enjoying the tiny body’s vibration as she purred.

“What do you think, Stormy? Am I doing the right thing?”

The only answers she got were a louder rumble and the scratch of a wet kitten tongue on her hand.

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

“HOW COME I can’t come?”

Travis finished buttoning his shirt and ruffled his son’s hair. “Because I need some time alone with your mom.”

“I thought you wanted to spend time with me,” Charlie said, a definite pout in his voice.

Travis sat down next to him with a sigh. “I do, Charlie. We spent all day hiking in Hagerman, and we’re going to spend tomorrow together, too. I just want to have a date with your mom, because if we can’t make our marriage work, we can’t be together.”

Charlie hesitated, and seemed to be weighing his answer before he finally said, “Okay.”

The one-word answer said he still wasn’t happy about being left behind, but that was tough. Travis loved his boy, but right now he wanted to get Gemma alone, without all the secrets between them, and see what happened.

“Come on, let’s go see if your mom is ready.”

Annie pushed past both of them, leading the way out to the living room, and sat by the stairs¸ staring up at them forlornly. Travis had to smile at the dog’s obvious affection for her master’s standoffish mother.

“Gemma, are you about ready?”

“Be down in a minute!”

The doorbell rang, and Travis went to answer it, only instead of just one babysitter, there were five teenage girls with wide eyes and dopey grins staring back at him.

“Hi there,” he said, confused, “can I help you ladies?”

The one in the middle, a slim blonde with a red face, muttered, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Bowers, but my friends were wondering if you would sign a few things for them.”

Gemma had told him the sitter was the Andrews’ youngest daughter, Jenny, and although he was irritated, he tried not to show it. “All right, I can do that. Are they all staying to help you watch Charlie?”

“No, sir.”

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sp; He took pity on the poor girl, who obviously hadn’t meant for her friends to come over, and said, “Why don’t you go on inside while I take care of this?”

Jenny walked around him while Travis stepped out, his arms crossed over his chest, and for the first time, the girls looked uncertain.

“I don’t mind signing autographs and meeting you girls, and I appreciate the enthusiasm, but under no circumstances do I condone showing up uninvited at my wife’s house when we’re getting ready to head out for the night.”

The girls’ countenances showed regret, and the chorus of I’m-sorrys was contrite enough that Travis took a short brunette’s pen and signed their CDs. When he finally made it back inside, Gemma was coming down the stairs in a floral summer dress, her brown hair in loose curls around her shoulders and a pair of brown cowboy boots on her feet.

She was hot as hell.

She stopped on the second step up so they were at eye level, and he blamed it on the gold flecks in her eyes, but he couldn’t help leaning over to give her a soft kiss.

It was so fast, Charlie barely had time to offer a yuck before Travis opened the door again. “Shall we go?”

GEMMA LET TRAVIS help her into the truck, trying not to feel guilty for leaving Charlie home, but as much as she wanted to make her son happy, she needed to be alone with Travis.

He jumped inside, and she couldn’t help admiring his smiling face in the dim light. It looked like he’d even had his hair cut for the occasion.