Of course tough guy Boone would ride his motorcycle home after a close call with hypothermia. But she wouldn't have his stubbornness on her conscience. "Sure. But before you leave here, promise me you'll call your dad or your uncles or someone, and tell them exactly which way you're going, so if your bike breaks down again, they'll know where to look for you."

"Or we could skip all that s.h.i.t and you could just give me a ride."

"I promised my dad I wouldn't go out of the house under any circ.u.mstances except for fire." G.o.d. Boone probably thought she was such a baby.

Warm fingers lifted her chin. "Hey. It's not a big deal."

As soon as he removed his hand, she blurted out, "Are you hungry?"

"You're always trying to feed me." He patted his stomach. "Do I look like I need fattening up?"

No, you look perfect. But maybe you should lift your shirt anyway so I can see your six-pack abs just to make sure.

"If you're not hungry you can come into the kitchen and watch me eat because I'm starved."

"Twist my arm. I'll put another log on the fire." He smiled. "You can cook me up some bacon and some beans."

"What?"

"You know...that's a line from that Tompall Glaser song?"

"Never heard of him. Is he local?"

Boone shook his head. "He was with the Outlaws. Your musical education is sorely lacking, McKay."

Sierra heated leftover angel hair pasta with basil cream sauce in the microwave. Boone watched as she diced a tomato and grated parmesan. She gestured to the cupboard with her knife. "You wanna grab plates?"

"Sure."

She divided the pasta in half, and sprinkled cheese and tomatoes on each pile. "Dig in."

Boone wound a good-sized bite around his fork and popped it in his mouth. "That is fantastic. Eating here is like dining at a fancy restaurant. You should be a chef."

"I don't know what I want to do after high school. How about you?"

"I've got a good idea."

He didn't elaborate.

Sierra wasn't as hungry as she'd thought and Boone ended up polishing off her plate of pasta too.

"Thanks for an outstanding meal. I feel like I oughta leave a tip."

"How about if you do the dishes?"

"Deal." He cleared the plates. When he opened the door to the dishwasher, she said, "Nope. Not that dishwasher. This one."

Boone frowned. "What's the difference?"

"That one is Rielle's; this one is ours. I know it's weird, but we had to divide the kitchen s.p.a.ce and set boundaries after we moved in." She sighed. "It's sort of pointless now that my dad and Rielle are sleeping together."

"Really? How do you know? Did you catch them goin' at it?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. They're more discreet than that, except I catch them making out all the time. My dad has never had a girlfriend, which is weird when you think about it." She'd wondered if he was gay. And she'd tried several times to let her dad know she'd be fine with it if he preferred men.

"Never?"

"If he was seeing someone in Arizona he never brought her home when I was there." She rinsed the dishrag and hung it over the sink divider. "My dad's actually been a lot happier since we moved here. I wonder how much of that has to do with her." After Rory's little come-to-Jesus talk, he'd started doing more things with her outside the house. That'd taken some of the sting out of her feeling of isolation, but not all. She felt Boone staring at her and she looked up. "Sorry."

"Have you asked if he's practicing safe s.e.x?"

Sierra laughed. "That'd go over well."

Boone wandered into the great room, inspecting Rielle's funky furnishings. "So if your dad didn't date, what about your mom? You said your parents divorced when you were five, right?"

He'd remembered that? "Uh-huh. My mom? She's a flake."

He whirled around and grinned. "Hey, so's mine."

"Really? Did your mom spontaneously bail to France with her twenty-eight-year-old boyfriend? And she's lying about her age, swearing she's just a few years older few years older, when it's a decade."

"Have you met her boyfriend?"

Sierra shook her head. "Get this; she told him I'm her sister. If my dad knew that he'd lose his mind. Even when my dad annoys me, he's always acted like he wants wants to be around me, not because he to be around me, not because he has has to take care of me." Not always the case with her mom. Her mom was fun and smiles when they were doing what she wanted, which was most of the time. So it made no sense why Sierra missed her so much, but she did. Especially after she'd called to confront her mom about the package of lingerie she'd sent as a gift. Her mom had cried and apologized and swore she'd make it up to her. And Sierra believed her-even when her dad made cracks about lowering her expectations. to take care of me." Not always the case with her mom. Her mom was fun and smiles when they were doing what she wanted, which was most of the time. So it made no sense why Sierra missed her so much, but she did. Especially after she'd called to confront her mom about the package of lingerie she'd sent as a gift. Her mom had cried and apologized and swore she'd make it up to her. And Sierra believed her-even when her dad made cracks about lowering her expectations.

"At least you had one good parent. Both mine sucked." Boone sat across from her. "My dad was always gone. When I was a kid and now."

"Have you always lived with him?"

"Nope. I lived with Mom until third grade."

"Did she get married or something?"

"No. Everything changed when my dad found out..." He clenched his hands into fists and he looked at the floor. "f.u.c.k. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Unnerved by his abrupt mood swing to anger, Sierra waited for him to explain, but he stayed quiet, almost closed off. "What did he find out?"

"Just drop it."

"Were you being abused?"

His head snapped up. "Believe it or not, I would've preferred that 'cause I could have fought back."

"Okay, now after that remark, you've got to tell me."

"I should've kept my mouth shut."

"Boone. Some part of you wants me to know if you mentioned it."

"I don't know why I did. It's just so f.u.c.king...embarra.s.sing," he said softly. "I never talk about this s.h.i.t. Why do I just spill my guts every freakin' time I see you?"

"Because we're friends." She scooted next to him. "Because everyone needs someone to talk to and you can trust me. I promise whatever you share with me will stay between us. So tell me. Please."

Another moment pa.s.sed. Boone didn't look at her when he said, "My dad found out that I couldn't read."

Her heart squeezed hard at his confession.

"I was eight years old and I couldn't read a single word. My mom played dumb, but the truth was she was either drunk or high and she didn't give a s.h.i.t, h.e.l.l, she didn't know where I was half the time. Dad felt guilty, which made him mad, so he caused a big stink with the Moorcroft school board, railing against lazy teachers just pa.s.sing me when I was illiterate. He had no idea I was a problem child and the teachers couldn't wait to get me the h.e.l.l out of their cla.s.sroom."

"How did he find out you couldn't read? Did your mom tell him? Or did you?"

"My Aunt Carolyn figured it out when we were at a West reunion. G.o.d. I wanted to die because I knew I was stupid and then everyone else would know it too."

"Did she single you out and embarra.s.s you in front of your whole family?" she demanded.

He finally looked up at her and smiled. "Yep, you're definitely a McKay with how indignant you just got on my behalf. Aunt Caro did too. She read my dad the riot act. I've never heard her swear like that. She even threatened to pet.i.tion the court for temporary custody of me."

"Did you end up living with her?"

"Just for the summer while my dad got his s.h.i.t together. She and my Aunt Kimi and my cousin Keely worked with me. They were patient and understanding-everything my mom and dad weren't. I learned a lot, but not enough to make up for all I'd missed in first, second and third grade. So I repeated third grade in Sundance. Which is why I'm graduating at age nineteen instead of eighteen.

"My mom got herself cleaned up after she stopped getting child support payments. By the time I was in fifth grade I was bouncing back and forth between them. But even during those years when I lived with my dad, my grandparents or uncles ended up stuck with me since my dad wasn't around. Then my mom married, had another couple kids. I've more or less been on my own since I was fifteen."

Sierra put her arm around his shoulders, resting her cheek on his bicep. "Okay, West. You win the s.h.i.tty parents contest."

He laughed.

"However...I saw your name on the honor roll for last quarter, Mr. Four Point Oh. You're not so dumb after all." She closed her eyes when she caught a whiff of his cologne. Tempting to rub her face against his soft flannel shirt and purr like a kitten.

What are you doing? Back off. Don't be stupid and act like you're making a move on him.

Sierra slowly sat up. "Thanks for telling me, Boone."

"There's something about you, McKay, that makes me trust you. Which is weird because I don't trust anyone."

"It's probably because I fed you that first time. You keep coming back like a stray dog."

He snorted. "But since I spilled an embarra.s.sing secret, you gotta do the same."

"Why?"

"It's the rules."

"Says who?"

"Me. And my rules...rule."

"Do I have to?"

"Yep. Unless you're Little Miss Perfect Princess who's never done anything wrong."

She slapped his thigh. "Perfect. Princess. As if. I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone. Ever."

Those warm fingers were on her chin again, turning her to face him. Then she was looking into that handsome face of his and getting trapped in those gorgeous golden-brown eyes of his. "You can trust me, okay? It's not like I've got a bunch of guy friends I drink beer and bulls.h.i.t with."

"What about girlfriends?" just slipped out.

"None of those either."

"I've seen girls all over you at school and the games."

"Yeah. I know."

"And you don't take any of them out?"

"Nope. It's because I'm...f.u.c.k, why are you so nosy, McKay?"

"You'd be disappointed if I wasn't. So what's the deal?" As soon as she said it, she hoped to G.o.d that beautiful, hot Boone West wasn't about to confess that he was gay.

His topaz-colored eyes searched hers. "The truth? I can't afford a girlfriend. I live with my dad, but he's never f.u.c.king there. He reminds me that I'm an adult and I have to pay for everything myself. Even working part-time means I'm full-time broke. I don't even have a G.o.dd.a.m.n car, so it's not like I can pick up a chick on my bike when it's twenty degrees below zero."

Sierra exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

"If anyone asks-and some girls just don't get the hint that I'm not interested-I tell them I'm seeing a woman who lives in Casper." He shrugged and dropped his hand from her face. "Not an original lie, but one that usually works." He gave her a light b.u.t.t on the head. "Nice distraction, but you still owe me an embarra.s.sing fact about you."

"I'm learning to knit and I really love it."

"That is not not embarra.s.sing. So quit hedging and lay the real dirt on me." embarra.s.sing. So quit hedging and lay the real dirt on me."

She blurted, "I was put in juvenile for shoplifting and had to go to teen court."

Boone whistled. "Wasn't expecting that. What happened?"

She told him. Her face flamed, as it always did, when she thought about how stupid she'd been.

"What'd you take?"

"A bottle of perfume."

He studied her. "Would your dad have bought it for you if you'd asked him?"

"Maybe. My mom definitely would've coughed up the cash. Of course, it would've been money she'd gotten from my dad."

"So why'd you do it?"

"A dare from my friends. They said I was too much of a goody-goody. Then they showed me the stuff they'd taken. So I tried to prove I was bada.s.s by stealing something. G.o.d. I was so f.u.c.king gullible and I got caught."

"Did you tell the cops your friends were ripping off stuff too?"