by Lori Foster
“It’s okay.” More than okay, because her heart ached for him. “You have Sadie now?”
“I do. She’s mine and somehow I’ll make everything okay.” He glanced down the hall again, then turned to her. “She’s been through a lot, so I appreciate your patience, especially with her less-than-warm welcome.”
“Like I said, she’s precocious...and pretty darned adorable.”
“Right?” He smiled with her, but as their gazes held, his smile slowly faded. “Deb, my ex, crashed with her in the car. Drunk. Leaving town because it was my turn for a vacation. I actually passed them on the road, turned back...and found the car wrapped around a telephone pole.” Remembered fear darkened his eyes; he worked his jaw and whispered, “Swear to God, it took ten years off my life, not knowing at first what I’d find.”
Autumn could only imagine, given that her heart beat double-time just hearing about it. “Sadie...?”
“She was in the back seat, luckily buckled in, shocked, bruised and crying, but thankfully okay. Unfortunately, Deb didn’t survive.”
Emotion squeezed her lungs. “No child should ever have to go through that.”
“On that we agree.” He looked stricken, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Jesus, I haven’t seen you in forever and here I am dumping my life history on you, when I usually don’t talk about it at all.”
She wanted to tell him that he could talk to her anytime, but as he said, they hadn’t seen each other in years, and he hadn’t know her well when they did. “I don’t mind.”
“You did such a great job distracting her that I guess I just—”
The sound of Sadie’s running footsteps shut them both down.
Tash gave her another long look, then went back to the stove and busied himself, his shoulders set in a tense line as Sadie skidded back in, anxious to hear more about the animals.
Autumn found it hard to swallow.
More than anything, she wanted to haul Sadie close and hug her silly. Instead, giving Tash a moment to himself, she shared one funny story after another.
When Tash set a plate in front of her, she balked. “Really, I don’t mean to impose. If you want to tell me what I’m designing, I can take some measurements while you eat and then, when you’re done, you can let me know what you have in mind.”
“You have to eat with us,” Sadie insisted. “I want to hear about the dog that had only three legs.”
Distracted, Autumn promised, “We found a wonderful, loving home for him. Other dogs and cats, too.”
“Did you name them all?” Sadie asked.
“My sister and I can’t seem to resist. But sometimes they come to us with names. When they do, we don’t change them.”
Again giving her that funny, pleased-but-confounded look, Tash said, “If you have the time, we’d love for you to join us. It’ll give Sadie a chance to tell you what kind of bedroom she wants.”
“That’s what I’m designing?”
He nodded. “And a play area in the spare bedroom. Maybe a swing set outside, too?”
Clearly it was news to Sadie. The little girl looked stunned.
“Oh, fun!” Already Autumn looked forward to spending more time with Sadie. She adored kids, always had. Getting close to adults was difficult for her, but kids, with their frank manners and zest for life, won her over without even trying. “Kids rooms and play areas are my favorites.”
“Perfect.” Gesturing at the food, Tash said, “Dig in.”
So far this visit was everything she hadn’t expected, and nothing that she’d worried about. “Okay, sure. So, Sadie, while we eat, why don’t you tell me what kind of bedroom you want.”
Sadie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“So what are your favorite colors? Favorite toys or cartoons?”
“Hmmm...baby blue,” she announced around a mouthful of crunchy taco. “I like rainbows and unicorns.” She paused, thought, then added, “Glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and glitter.”
Tash went comically still. “Um...” He looked to Autumn.
She had a full mouth, too, but she quickly nodded, letting him know it was okay. For years now she’d been managing the combined expectations of kids and parents, finding a moderate compromise that pleased them both.
She reached for her portfolio with her free hand. After swallowing, she rifled through it and withdrew a big printout for another bedroom she’d done.
“What about something like this?” She turned the paper and pointed to the very sweet girl’s bed with a flexible canopy overhead. “The stars could go here, on the canopy, so that they’re closer to you at night. The bedding can be unicorns instead of mermaids, and the rainbow can be accomplished with curtains. What do you think?”
Relieved, Tash let out a breath. “That looks amazing. What do you think, Sadie?”
“I like it,” Sadie hedged, “but it needs more color. Lots and lots of color.”
“Most definitely,” Autumn agreed. “Just leave it to me.”
* * *
The process of designing everything Tash wanted took several visits over the next week. On one visit, she interrupted his work on the computer, but he didn’t seem to mind. She only got a glimpse before he closed the screen, but it appeared to be internet advertising. Fascinating.
On another trip, she found Tash and Sadie at a backyard tea party, sitting on a floral tablecloth, drinking from tiny cups and eating cookies at least twice the size of the miniature plates they were on. Yes, she ate a cookie.
Or two.
And she even drank some juice from the cup.
It was extremely nice that his work allowed for impromptu backyard picnics. In a very short time, she’d already realized that Tash made spending time with his daughter a big priority.
When Sadie wandered off to pick wildflowers, Autumn had quietly asked him about the restrictions of his job.
He explained that he wanted the summer to help Sadie get acclimated to her new life. While watching his daughter, he said, “Time enough to really build my new business after she starts back to school.”
“Ah, so it’s a new business.” While she spoke, she strolled the yard, thinking about possibilities. A number of large trees provided shade to the back of the house, but also complicated things. Where to put the play area so it could be aesthetically pleasing, blending with the trees instead of competing with them?
“I was a partner in an advertising firm before coming here.”
“Oh?” She glanced at him, then away. Being with him like this, even with Sadie nearby, was a unique form of intimacy, one she’d never experienced before. The probing way his dark eyes looked at her, the shared whispers, the...trust? Yes, she sensed that he trusted her, and it filled her with purpose. “That sounds like an important position?”
He looked at his daughter again, his gaze warm but also determined. “Not as important as Sadie.”
That answer made her smile from the inside out. “No, of course not.”
“Now I freelance remotely with the firm, primarily with my longest-standing clients, who didn’t want to switch reps, but I’m mostly focusing on internet advertising. The hours are more flexible.”
“That’s wonderful. You should let the local paper know. They’d probably love to do a feature on you.”
“I might, thanks.” Tash stayed right with her, strolling along, making her überaware of him. That wouldn’t do. The man was a father, for crying out loud, and she was only there to create the perfect spaces for Sadie.
Tash hadn’t said it, but she knew he wanted her to feel settled in and happy.
Unfortunately, when she asked Sadie about her preferences, all she got was a shrug.
When Tash started to intercede, Autumn reached back to reassure him...and inadvertently touched his stomach. She snatched her hand away.
He caught h
er wrist, his strong fingers completely encompassing it. Screw the big bones—his bones were obviously bigger!
Voice low, he said, “She’s holding back, but I promise you, she’s excited.”
Did he think she’d lose her enthusiasm? Not likely. “Give me just a second with her, okay?” Without waiting for his reply, she moved to where Sadie sat on the ground. “Mind if I join you?”
Nose scrunching, Sadie squinted up at her. “Why?”
“I wanted to talk about my plans, see if they work for you.”
Another shrug didn’t deter Autumn. Mimicking Sadie’s pose, she sat yoga-style beside her. “So I was thinking of building something around that tree.” She pointed to the mature oak. “The branches are high enough that a tree fort would be really cool.”
Sadie looked up, her blue eyes rounding. “Tree fort?”
Now I’ve got you. Suppressing her smile, Autumn asked, “Do you like to climb?”
With a caution that Autumn now recognized, Sadie said, “Yeah, but...”
“Excellent.” Arranging a drawing pad on her lap, Autumn leaned closer so Sadie could see and started sketching. She drew a basic structure around the trunk of the tree with an extension to hold swings and a slide. “You’d go up this ladder to get to the platform, through a trapdoor and then to the deck. There’d be a railing around it to make it safe, of course. Your dad loves you too much to take a chance on you getting hurt.” She went on quickly, glossing over the fact that Tash was apparently a lot more cautious than her mom had been. “We could decorate the deck any way you want. More unicorns or—”
“I like pirates.”
“Oh, excellent!” Running with that small admission, Autumn said, “We could make it to look like the helm of a pirate ship.” Adding on to the sketch, she said, “We could put a ship’s wheel here, as if you’re sailing, and maybe a telescope so you could look out and see the squirrels and birds.” She nudged her with her shoulder. “I remember that you like looking at birds.”
Sadie chewed her lip. “It sounds nice.”
“It’ll be more than nice, I promise.”
“You’ll really build it?”
And there it was, the little girl’s worry. How many times had she been promised something, only to end up disappointed? “If your dad approves, I’ll draw it up and my sister, Ember, will do most of the building. She’s crazy-good with power tools.”
Because he’d been listening, Tash immediately joined them, lowering his muscular body to sit the same way so that they formed a small circle. “Let me see.” He took the sketch pad from Autumn and then whistled. “Man, I would have loved something like this when I was a kid.”
“It’ll be sturdy enough to support you, I promise.”
“And you?” Sadie asked, her excitement growing.
“Heck, yeah. I expect an invitation to your open house.”
Pleased with her drawing, Tash asked, “Could you put in some monkey bars?” He reached out to muss Sadie’s here. “She is a little monkey, you know.”
Sadie’s smile brightened, before she tempered it again.
Undeterred, Tash smoothed Sadie’s hair. “Which would you want her to start on first? Your bedroom, the playroom, or the swing set?”
Her big blue-eyed gaze flickered over her dad, then Autumn.
And they got another shrug.
“My suggestion,” Autumn said, “is the area out here. I think Ember could start next week if that works for you. In the meantime, I could be getting stuff together for the bedroom.”
It almost killed her when Sadie looked so hopeful.
Tash recognized the problem, too, because he asked, “How long do you think it’ll take you to get everything done?”
“I don’t need a playroom,” Sadie stated, stalling Autumn’s answer. “I mean...” She squirmed, drew a breath. “Dad should have an office, right?”
Gently, Tash said, “I don’t mind working in the living room.”
“But...” Again, she glanced at each of them, then seemed to shore up her determination. “If we’re staying here, you need an office.”
Oh, my, such a beautiful little spirit. Unable to resist, Autumn put an arm around Sadie and drew her in for a hug. “You are just the sweetest person I’ve ever met.” She even put a kiss to the top of Sadie’s head, then got back to business. “So an office. We could easily do that. And truthfully, Sadie is going to have an amazing bedroom. I have all kinds of ideas so that it’ll be perfect for playing and sleeping. It’s up to you, of course, but if you want—”
“I think Sadie is brilliant,” Tash said, pulling the girl into his lap. “Will you help me figure out what I’ll need in an office? Including your own section, so that when I’m really busy, you can still be in there with me?”
“But...you’ll have to work.”
“True,” he said, his tone grave. “But I like seeing you play sometimes. Maybe when it’s rainy and you can’t get out, or if you just feel like being close—the way I sometimes do. The office would face the backyard, so when you wanted to play, I could still see you, hear you...” He gave her a squeeze. “Hear you laughing.”
“Oh! What a fabulous idea!” Creative ideas came fast and furious. Flipping to a new page, Autumn sent her pencil flying in fun designs. “You’ll have to tell me exactly what you need, of course, but wouldn’t this be amazing? We could take out the closet door, reframe it and make it Sadie’s own little office space. The wall could be done in chalkboard paint, and we could put a few low shelves on this side for art supplies, with this shelf serving as a desk surface—” She squeaked in surprise when Tash gave her the same type of hug she’d given to Sadie, embracing her with one long arm while laughing at her eagerness.
It nearly stopped her heart. Good Lord, the man was solid. Crushed close to his side, several sensations hit her at once, like the soft hair on his forearm, the heat of his skin, his husky laugh and his rich scent.
When was the last time a man had held her? So long ago, she couldn’t even remember! She blinked, unsure what to say, or what to do...
He didn’t linger over the gesture, and she realized his focus was largely on his daughter—meaning Autumn had overreacted.
That assumption proved true when he said to Sadie, “I think I should give Autumn a down payment right now, don’t you? That way she can’t back out on us.”
“I wouldn’t,” Autumn protested, still flustered and trying her best to hide it. She knew he’d done all that for his daughter, to reassure her, so she needed to get her raging hormones in line and play along. “I’m looking forward to digging in and I’m hoping to have lots of input from Sadie. She can be my assistant.”
Tash asked his daughter, “What do you think? Are you up for the job?”
“Yes,” Sadie sang, and before Autumn even knew what was happening, they were all on their way indoors, where Tash insisted on writing her a check for more than half of her estimated charge.
Since Sadie seemed so very pleased, Autumn accepted the payment with a smile.
* * *
Talk about being blindsided... Tash had a hell of a time adjusting. From the moment he’d pulled Sadie from that twisted wreck, he’d put women from his mind. He’d canceled dates, broken ties and devoted all his thoughts, energy and purpose into caring for his daughter. Piece of cake. Nothing mattered but his daughter’s well-being. Being one-hundred-percent Dad left little room for the pursuits of most single men.
Now here was Autumn, and damn, the lady packed a wallop.
At first, he hadn’t thought she was pretty—was, in fact, almost plain. Average face, average build.
Until she’d smiled. Once he’d talked to her for a few minutes and watched her interact with Sadie, she looked different. Right before his eyes, she’d...glowed. With happiness and understanding.
That smile teased without trying. Her eyes, a
soft blue, looked at Sadie and really saw her—not just a cute kid with a bold personality, but a young girl struggling to find her place, to adjust to big changes.
And when she looked at him? There was a sexy reserve to her manner, something that suggested she wasn’t exactly interested, but was definitely full of secrets.
All combined, it made her uniquely...tempting.
It didn’t make any sense.
He remembered her as a shy, quiet, nondescript little thing, who’d occasionally stare at him in school and at sporting events.
She wasn’t all that shy anymore, definitely wasn’t quiet—not when discussing one of her passions, like design or caring for animals—and he wouldn’t call her little, not at all.
The woman had curves galore. Curves he kept noticing despite his best intentions.
Yet it was more than that, too. If she’d only been stacked, no problem. A sexy body wouldn’t draw him so completely. But in addition to that mouth-watering figure, Autumn was warm and sweet, intuitive and caring.
He wasn’t made of stone, so how could he not notice?
Dangerous. Appealing.
Now that he’d hired her, they’d be seeing each other more. He looked forward to talking with her again, and if he didn’t miss his guess, his daughter felt the same.
It was nice seeing Sadie excited for something. Now if he could just keep her smiling...
* * *
Autumn had other appointments, but she and Tash ended up conferring on the new office space instead, and later, with that area decided, the design of Sadie’s bedroom changed just a bit to include plenty of room for her toys.
Sadie had dolls of every variety, so Autumn hoped to convince Tash to invest in a really special dollhouse made locally. It was big enough for Sadie to crawl inside now, and when she was older, it could be turned and used as a special shelf for her dolls. That, she decided, should be discussed in private, though.