Chasing Cheyenne

Cheyenne Farrow was untouchable. My beautiful neighbor was devoted to a man who didn’t deserve her or their adorable daughter.

It was nearly impossible to stay away, especially when Cheyenne’s warm-brown eyes gazed at me with so much unfulfilled desire.

Until the one night we finally succumbed to the unspoken temptation.

PROLOGUE

Cheyenne

One hundred and one dollars and twelve cents.

I stared at the number on the computer screen even as my vision got fuzzy. It was even less than usual this time, and I struggled to see how I would make that stretch for almost two weeks. Thankfully, I had a shift at the bar, so I should be able to tack on another fifty bucks to that amount.

When my daughter, Lucy, was in school, I had a part-time job at the market as a cashier, but because my husband was gone so much, I had to quit so I could be home with her during the summer. No way could we afford daycare for her, so when Gage came home between jobs, I grabbed as many shifts at the bar as I could, which was usually only one, two if I was lucky.

We were almost out of food, and I barely had any gas in my car, but I’d make it work.

Like always.

It sucked not having money, but I hoped we’d soon get ourselves out of the years of debt we’d racked up. If I were to be honest with myself, I also hoped we’d soon get back to the way we were as a couple because being married to a man who felt more like a stranger than a partner wasn’t my idea of a happily ever after.

I wanted to be happy, but more importantly, I wanted to give our daughter the kind of life she deserved. She wanted things that Gage and I couldn’t provide, which made me feel awful, but I had faith it wouldn’t be like this forever.

I got my notebook and envelope out of my purse, then looked through my coupons. I scrolled the internet to see what meals I could make for cheap and wrote down the recipes. Armed with a list and a heart full of determination, I logged out of the library computer and hooked my purse over my shoulder, re-tying the strap that had split in half.

The market was only a few blocks away, so I walked to save gas. I managed to get three meals worth of groceries for twenty-seven dollars. Those leftovers would last through next week, so as long as I had about fifteen bucks left by then, Lucy and I would be fine. Seeing as I had more than that, I was excited to be able to give my little girl some kind of treat or take her somewhere fun.

Hustling back toward the library parking lot, I reached my car and put a couple of gallons of gas in my tank on the way home. One of the many reasons I adored living in Warrenville. Aside from the familiarity and safety, I had everything I needed without having to leave the small Southern town I grew up in. I wasn’t alone in my love and loyalty either. Most everybody born here stayed, or if they went away, they almost always returned.

I’d gotten some popsicles for Lucy, and I didn’t want them to melt, so I drove faster than I should have. As I pulled into my driveway, I saw a really cool, older truck in the driveway next door.

My elderly neighbor, Ms. Wanda, couldn’t take care of herself anymore, so she moved in with her daughter. Her house had been on the market for several months, and it looked like it finally sold. So few kids Lucy’s age lived in our neighborhood, so it would be nice if whoever moved in had young children for her to play with.

It only took one trip to get the groceries inside, and after I stowed them, I walked across the lawn to my other neighbor, Ms. Harriette’s house. “Hello,” I called as I entered.

“We’re in here, Mommy!” Lucy answered from the kitchen.

“It smells like a bakery.” I smiled at how cute the two of them looked behind the countertop.

Lucy was carefully moving the cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack with a spatula, her tongue poking out as she concentrated. Harriette stood beside her, with her short, elegantly styled gray hair, slightly hunched back, and wrinkly skin, watching with pride.

I was so grateful to her, not because she offered to watch Lucy sometimes, but because she was just there for me.

“I have some leftover casserole from last night that I put in a container for y’all in the fridge.”

And because she knew we were struggling financially, she often made extra food for us. I tried to return the favor as much as I could, but that would usually mean my meal would be skipped, because everything was rationed out to last.

“Thank you, Harriette. You didn’t have to do that.”

I helped clean up the dishes and Lucy, and we left with a couple of dozen cookies and the broccoli cheese casserole. I locked Harriette’s front door with the key I had, then headed across the lawn holding Lucy’s hand.

“Who’s that, Mom?”

I lifted my head and almost dropped the bag full of food. Because the scene before me looked like it should have been straight out of a movie. A very attractive man wearing a white T-shirt that hugged his bulging biceps, dark hair, and jeans that fit like a glove was hurling boxes in the hot Texas sun, making a sheen of sweat coat his tan skin.

“Mom, is that our new neighbor?”

He must have heard her because he turned to us and set a box on the ground… and then started coming this way. The backs of my knees tingled, my heart lodged in my throat, and my belly fluttered, reminding me that I was still a woman with needs… even though they hadn’t been met in years.


Sutton

Of course she had to be hot. Petite and curvy. With long jet-black hair and a set of shiny pink, totally kissable lips. She was a freaking smoke show.

I wiped my hands on my jeans, walked across the lawn, and stopped a couple of feet away. “Hey.”

She tipped her head back, hitting me with her soulful brown eyes that seemed to darken every time she blinked. “Hi.”

“I’m Sutton.”

“But your shirt says Joe,” the little girl said.

I glanced down at the printed design that read My name is and grinned. “My mom thought she was funny when she bought this.”

“Oh. So your name’s not Joe?”

“Nope. It’s Sutton.”

“My name is Lucille because of my grandma, but I don’t like that name so everyone calls me Lucy.”

She was adorable. “Hi, Lucy.”

“And I’m Cheyenne.”

Even her name was sexy. I turned my attention to the mom. “Nice to meet y’all.”

“Do you, uh, have any kids?” Cheyenne asked.

“Nope.” And I never would. “Just me.”

“Any more kids? Husband?” I asked, noticing the ring on her finger.

She nodded. “No, just Lucy. And yes. He, uh… he’s just not home right now. He’ll be back tonight.”

“I see.” And I was glad because a sexy, single woman who looked like her was a temptation I did not need.

“Do you want a cookie?” Lucy asked. “I just made them with Ms. Harriette.” She tugged at the plastic bag in her mom’s hand, and Cheyenne had no choice but to set it on the ground. Lucy pulled out a yellow butter container and took the lid off. The smell of chocolate chip cookies filled the air and made my stomach growl.

She handed me one and then licked the melted chocolate off her fingers, waiting expectantly for me to eat it. I shoved the whole thing in my mouth and gave a thumbs-up as I chewed. “It’s great.”

“Here, have more.” She tried to scoop a bunch out, but Cheyenne grabbed her arms. “Let’s not make a mess, baby, and you just had your hands in your mouth. Why don’t I take a couple out for us and then give him the rest of the container?”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine.”

Lucy went along with her mom’s suggestion, and I took the offered treats. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Lucy picked up the other container in the bag that had a few cookies on top and started slowly walking toward the house like she was on a balance beam, shouting like she was a football field away, “I’m gonna go in the house, Mom!”

“Right behind you.” Cheyenne laughed and scrunched up the bag in her hand. “It was nice meeting you, Sutton.”
“Yeah. Same. Thanks for the cookies.”

She flashed a smile and took a step away. “Oh, I still have a key from when Ms. Wanda lived there. I’ll be sure to give it back to you.”

I waved her off. “Keep it. You never know when I’ll lock myself out.”

“In that case, she always kept another spare under the loose brick by the side door. Might want to check if it’s still there.”

“I’ll do that.”

She wiggled her fingers at me, and when she turned around, I didn’t walk away. I watched her ass move and felt something stir inside me… something more than lust.

Behind her beauty was a vulnerability and sadness that she was practically pleading for me to fix, but I shook it off because that wasn’t my job. It wasn’t even close to my responsibility. She was married. It was her man’s job to take care of her, not mine.