Mrs. Robin's Sons by Kori Roberts (free children's online books .TXT) 📗

anything else, had never wanted to do anything else. Thankfully, he was damn good at it, and the money he made was decent.

Despite all of that, Nick knew Rylee was probably used to dating men much older than him, with pockets much deeper than his. And he couldn’t help but wonder what she would think about how he earned his living. Nick wasn’t exactly sure what Rylee did at the hotel, but he suspected it was something important. And the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he was just another kid who didn’t have his shit together, with no real job or focus in life.

Rylee still looked at him questioningly, and Nick realized that he hadn’t answered her question.

“I work with dogs.” In spite of his reservations about what she would think, Nick couldn’t stop the grin that stretched his face. He loved working with the animals. “My brother and I have a training facility up there, and we breed and train dogs.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rylee smiled, her expression filled with genuine interest. “Somehow, when I think of Wisconsin, I don’t picture dog breeding.”

“Most people don’t.” He laughed. “But, trust me; the only four-legged animals you’ll see on our land are of the canine variety.”

“Wow, I guess you would have to really like dogs to have a job like that.”

“Oh,” Nick clutched his chest, “please don’t wound me by telling me that the most beautiful woman in the room is a cat lover.” His theatrical display had the desired effect as Rylee began to laugh.

“Hey, I’m an equal opportunity lover of cats and dogs. I’ve just never spent a lot of time around either.” She shrugged. “My father was a musician. We traveled a lot and moved even more when I was a kid. It’s hard to have pets when you’re on the road all the time.”

“So, did you ever travel to Wisconsin?” Nick asked.

Rylee seemed to think about it for a moment. “You know, I think Wisconsin is one of the few states that I’ve never visited.” She chuckled in embarrassment. “And it’s one of the closest.”

“Well, I think we should fix that,” Nick told her. “You’re more than welcome to visit me in Wisconsin anytime. I’m sure my dogs would love you.” “Thanks…I’ll keep that in mind.” God, he wanted to kiss her so badly. Wanted to hold, and touch, and… At some point, Nick realized that he’d begun to lean closer and closer to Rylee, their mouths separated by less than an inch of space. All he had to do was pucker, and they’d be kissing.

“So, when is your brother getting here?” Rylee’s warm, sweet breath feathered across his face.

“Good question.” Nick reluctantly pulled his gaze away from her and looked down at his watch. He was shocked to see how much time had passed. It had been two hours since he’d met Rylee, and nearly three hours since he’d last spoken to Noah, so he figured his brother would be arriving soon. Regardless, he wasn’t going to worry about it at the moment.

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Nick told her. “Besides, I’m enjoying my birthday just fine right here.”

Before Rylee could respond, a hand landed on Nick’s shoulder. “Here you are. Sorry it took me so long to get here.” He turned around and looked into familiar hazel eyes.

“Hey, you made it. We were just talking about you.” Nick saw Noah zoom in on Rylee, watched his eyes go wide in shock. Yeah, he knew the feeling. He made the introductions.

“Hi, Rylee.” Noah reached past him to shake Rylee’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same here, Noah.” She smiled warmly, shaking his hand.

“Do you mind if I steal Nick away for a minute?” Noah asked her.

“Not at all.” She smiled.

Nick looked at Rylee. “Sorry. I’ll be right back, okay?” When she nodded, he walked away to speak to his brother.

“She’s beautiful,” Noah said approvingly, his gaze wandering back to where Rylee sat.

He gave Nick a knowing smile. “So, I guess this means I’m going solo tonight.”

Nick’s gaze followed Noah’s back to the bar. “If I’m lucky, you will.” “That’s cool,” Noah said. “I saw a club down the street on my way here that I think I’ll go and check out.”

“Well, enjoy yourself, because I plan to.” Nick walked back to the bar, and Noah followed behind him. When he got there, Rylee was gone. “What the hell…” Nick looked around the crowded room, but couldn’t see that red head anywhere. “Hey” — he tried to catch the bartender’s attention — “The lady sitting here? Where did she go?”

“You mean Rylee? She left, man,” he said distractedly, as he continued to make drinks.

Nick stood there in shock, trying to figure out what went wrong. He would have sworn that Rylee was into him as much as he was into her, and he couldn’t believe that she would just leave without saying good-bye.

“Damn, Nick. Sorry about that,” Noah said. “Hey, don’t sweat it. You can come to the club with me.”

Nick sighed as disappointment weighed heavily on him. “Nah, it’s cool. You go enjoy yourself. I’m gonna hang out here for a little while.”

“Then I’m staying, too.” Noah’s voice was adamant. “This is your birthday, Nick. If anybody’s supposed to have fun this weekend, it’s you.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Nick found a smile for him. “I’ll be fine. Go have some fun.”

Noah still stood there, the look on his face letting Nick know he was unconvinced. “It’s cool…really,” Nick finally said.

Noah sighed and nodded reluctantly. He gave Nick a brief hug. “Happy Birthday, bro.

If you change your mind, call me, and I’ll let you know where to find me,” he said, before he headed off.

Nick waited until Noah left before he blew out an agitated breath. He couldn’t help feeling seriously played as he tried to figure out how in the hell he’d managed to misread Rylee’s signals so badly. Finally, he just shook his