by Box Set
Geri broke me out of the beginning of a nice little fantasy of just how warm and inviting that quilt might feel on my naked skin with Chris over me by pulling open a drawer and yanking out a dark blue sweatshirt.
“How do you know which drawer he keeps his sweatshirts in?” I asked as I pulled it over my head.
“Because it’s my job to put away laundry. Daddy does the laundry, Mattie folds it, and I put it away.”
The fact that the man was teaching these kids how to do housekeeping and basic living skills was impressive. I knew enough teenagers who went off to college with no clue how to survive on their own.
“Okay, let’s go make food.” Geri grabbed my hand again and pulled me out of the room as I glanced with longing one last time toward the bed.
When we got to the kitchen, I asked her to point out some of the things I would need. When she told me the pancake mix was in the pantry, I winked at her and told her I knew a better mix.
“You’re going to make pancakes without a box?” She stared at me in disbelief.
“I sure am, and you’re going to help me.”
I managed to find all the ingredients easily, and we went to mixing it all up. While the batter sat and rested, we got out the bacon. I mixed a little honey and barbeque sauce in a bowl and then brushed each strip of bacon with the thick liquid before we put it on a medium skillet. I kept a careful eye on the temperature to make sure I didn’t accidentally burn the honey on the burners of an unfamiliar range.
“I didn’t know you could do that with bacon. Daddy just takes it out of the package and cooks it.”
“I know lots of secrets to cooking.” I tapped her on her nose. “While I’m here, I’ll show you some.”
“How long are you staying?” she asked quickly.
“Until the storm is over, I guess, and I can get my car someplace to be fixed,” I said as I flipped the bacon.
“Then I hope it doesn’t ever stop snowing.”
I laughed at her, and we continued to cook.
The sound of two roaring engines could be heard in the distance, and Geri ran to the front of the house to look out the window. “They’re home!” she yelled as she came back in the kitchen.
“Perfect timing, we can put the pancakes on now.”
By the time they got inside, we had almost all of the pancakes cooked and staying warm in one of the ovens.
I was more aware of Chris entering the room than I had ever been of another person, and when I glanced over my shoulder and found him staring at me, my heart tripped over itself. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and his short, side-parted blonde hair was mussed and flattened from his hat. The temptation to run my fingers through his hair took me by surprise.
“Did you guys have any problems?” I asked as I kept my attention on what Geri was doing with the pancakes. I didn’t want her to drop them or burn herself on the stove. So far, she’d been doing really well.
“No, not unless you call breaking one of your car windows a problem.” Matt’s response was so unexpected that I spun around, completely forgetting what we were doing.
“You what?” I squeaked out.
Chris cleared his throat while he threw a menacing glance at his son. “The locks were frozen, it was the only thing we could do. Don’t worry; I’ll pay for the new window. We covered it in plastic, so it should be fine.”
He broke the window of my car to get my stuff out—not to mention he’d just spent almost two hours out in the freezing cold doing it. The man was my hero.
“Okay,” I said slowly, not sure what else to say.
“I found your purse and your cellphone, too. Did you happen to think of calling anyone to let them know you are here?”
I turned back to the stove just in time to keep Geri from flipping the pancake onto the stove.
“There’s no one to call,” I murmured.
The room quieted for a moment, and when I turned, Chris was standing behind me. “Geri, why don’t you set the table? Matt, go wash your hands, please.”
Both of the kids went off to do what they were asked without question, and Chris still stared at me.
“You can’t tell me that there is not one person who will be worried about you.”
I shrugged and returned my attention to the pancakes.
“I don’t believe that,” he said from directly behind me. “If you were my woman, I’d have been tearing the world apart trying to find you.”
And didn’t my heart just flip like a pancake.
I turned my head to find him leaning just over my shoulder.
“Trust me, there is no one who will be worried about me.”
I felt the tips of his fingers graze my right hip. “I’d say I was sorry to hear that, but I’m not,” I swallowed, not sure what to say, “and, by the way, you look cute as hell in my sweatshirt.”
He laughed huskily when I sucked in a breath. I’d never felt my ear tingle the way it did when his nose brushed over the outer shell. Who knew ears could be so sensitive to the barest of touches?
I bit down on my lip to keep from opening my mouth and went to the oven to take out the rest of the pancakes while Chris left to wash up.
I was just setting them on the table when Matt and Chris returned and sat down. Geri was pouring small glasses of orange juice, and I brought over the coffee I’d just brewed.
“Robin, this bacon smells amazing,” Matt called out.
“Robin was telling me some of her secrets of cooking.” Geri said proudly. “I’m going to be a cooking person like her when I grow up.”
“You’re a chef?” Matt asked as he piled pancakes high on his plate.
“Yes, I was. I was a catering chef, so I made large volumes of food for parties, usually creative and unique foods,” I answered as I passed the bacon to Chris.
“I love to cook, too. You’ll have to share a few of your secrets with me.”
The look he gave me explained what secrets he really wanted to know, and I began to wonder if I just didn’t want to spill some of them to him.
Chapter 6
Chris
I’d never had such amazing pancakes before, and the bacon was so succulent that Matt and I couldn’t stop eating it until every last piece was gone.
“You’re an amazing cook, Robin. Where did you work?”
“Thank you,” she replied as Matt voiced my sentiments. “I worked for a catering company in New York City.”
“Is that where you were coming from when your car died?” I wiped my mouth and set my napkin down beside my plate.
She seemed to tense slightly. “Yes.”
“Where were you heading?” I pushed my plate back and leaned my forearms on the table. I wanted to give her my full attention. It seemed crazy that she had no friends or family and was on the road in a blizzard.
“Um, to Ohio. That’s where I grew up. I was moving back to Ohio.”
“Do you still have family there?” I was still stuck on the fact that she said no one would be missing her. Was she hiding from someone? I thought back to last night when I had undressed her and couldn’t remember seeing any marks on her that would suggest an abusive situation.
“No, but I have friends.”
“And you don’t want to call one of them and tell them you’re alright?” I quirked my eyebrow and saw the restlessness come over her as she began to stack the dishes. “Leave them.” I turned to the kids, “Matt, you and Geri clean off the table. I’ll do the dishes in a few minutes. Robin, why don’t you come with me, I want to show you the guest room.”
I waited for Robin to set the dishes down before I led her out of the room and to the back hall. “Matt and I will bring your things in here after I get the kitchen cleaned.” I pushed open a door beside my bedroom and stepped in. The room was as large as mine and decorated in grays and burgundies.
Robin smiled as she looked around. “Your rooms are so warm and inviting; I love them.” She approached the window and studied the snow-covered landscape.
“I have a friend who does interior decorating. She helped me.” I couldn’t help but go to her side, as if a hidden tether pulled me there.
“It’s beautiful out there. How long have you lived here?”
I thought for a second. “I guess it’s been four years now.”
“And you don’t feel all alone up here in the woods?”
I chuckled softly, “No, believe it or not, there are a lot of people in the area, and it’s developing more and more each year.” I paused for a second as I stared at her profile. Her nose tipped up at the end, and her lips were full, but it was her eyes that captivated my attention, and from this angle, it was like looking through crystal clear water.
“You have the most amazing eye color,” I said without thinking.
She smiled shyly and turned to me. “Your eyes are darker than I thought, but you have little golden flecks in them, like liquid gold.”
I had the insane need to kiss her, but I held still as we kept studying each other. Kissing her was not an option. The last thing I needed was another entanglement, although tangling with her in a certain way for a little while would be nice.
“Why isn’t anyone looking for you?” I asked her abruptly.
She pressed her lips into a firm line and sighed as she looked away. “I decided I needed a change, so I quit my job and left the city,” she finished it up with a shrug.
There was something else she wasn’t saying. “You’re safe here. You know that, right, Robin? And if you want to talk about whatever it is you are running from, you can. No judgment here, okay?” Why the hell was I offering myself up as a listening post?
She dropped her chin to her chest for a moment before turning her whole body in my direction. “Thank you, Chris. There’s really nothing to tell. Let’s just say that I left on bad terms with my job, and a relationship that I’d been in ended just as badly. I needed to do something different, so I packed up and left.”
Obviously, she was one of those women who didn’t take commitment seriously. How can you just drop everything and take off? I’d seen that too many times in my life. This right here was another reason not to encourage anything between us.
“And what’s in Ohio?” I just couldn’t help myself, could I?
She laughed and stepped away from the window. “Nothing really, but it’s the only other place I know, so I was going to go back there and figure things out.”
“Do you have a place to stay there?” I asked as she ran her hand over the quilt on the bed, and I imagined my chest being the quilt under her fingers.
“No,” she shrugged again. “I was going to stay in a hotel until I figured out what I wanted to do.”
“Then why don’t you stay here?”
She looked at me in surprise, and I was just as shocked that the words had left my mouth, but I couldn’t stop them as they continued seemingly of their own volition. “I mean, why waste all the money at a hotel when you aren’t even sure you want to be there? If there is no one there missing you, then why not stay here? You’re more than welcome to, and you can spend some time trying to figure out what you want to do and where you want to go.”
Someone put a gag over my mouth. What the hell was I doing?
“Chris, I can’t do that. I don’t know you, and I’ve already caused enough trouble by interrupting your life.”
I stepped in front of her. “Robin, you are a welcome interruption to this family. Matt likes you, and Geri is already smitten with you.” Like her father, I almost added. No, I just found her sexy as hell. I was not smitten with her. “I work from home, this house is big enough that you can have your own space and do what you want but be comfortable. You’ll just need to do some more of that fabulous cooking while you’re here.” Finally, I came up with a somewhat plausible excuse.
She threw her head back and laughed, “So that’s why you really want me to stay, for my cooking.”
I loved the sound of her laugh. “Yes, cooking can be your room and board. I guarantee it will be better here than some run-of-the-mill hotel.”
She glanced around the room again. “I’m not going to deny that, but you all have done so much for me already, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Robin, I’ll make you a deal, if you’ll stay, I’ll let you know if you are outstaying your welcome.”
“Okay,” she said hesitantly.
“Besides, Christmas is only a couple of weeks away, and I’m thinking you know some pretty awesome cookie recipes you might want to share.”
She laughed again and reached out to squeeze my arm. “Thank you, Chris. I really mean that. I’ll consider it.”
“You’re welcome.” She slackened her grip but kept her hand on my bicep where a current ran from her into my own body. I had to ask her, “Am I the only one who feels this?”
She shook her head slowly, and my right hand landed on her hip as I stepped slightly closer to her.
“So I’m not crazy. You feel this incredible attraction, too.”
“Yes, but I don’t think we should encourage it.”
“Why not?” I asked softly. What I should have been asking was, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ but my brain didn’t seem to want to go there.
She stepped around me. “Chris, you’re a really nice guy, and I appreciate you saying I can stay here and straighten out my head, but I just got out of a bad relationship, and I’m not looking for another one.”
I stared at her for a few seconds. “So you think I’d be a bad relationship?” Did I really just ask that? I needed to turn around and march out of this room immediately.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I just meant that I’m not ready for one. I have a really bad track record for picking the wrong men for me, and I need to get my head on straight and figure out what I need to do.”
I thought for a moment. I could understand that. I’d picked a few women myself who had turned out to be major disappointments—both of whom had given me a child and then disappeared—and let’s not even think about my latest mistake with Molly.
“Okay, so we don’t act on it—that’s fine—but I’d still like to get to know you.” You’re an idiot, Christian, I said to myself.
Her smile was sweet when she spun toward me. “And I’d like that, too. I just don’t want to make more out of this than it is.”
“I get that.”
Actually, I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to push her. Hell, I shouldn’t have even suggested it in the first place. I needed to get my head out of my ass, walk away, give her space, and wait out the storm.“After I get the dishes done, Matt and I will get your things and bring them in here.”
“Thank you, Chris, and promise me that if I start to get in the way, that you’ll tell me.”
“I promise.” I was immediately torn between wanting to rush her out of the house and wanting to lock her in. I didn’t need this kind of trouble at this point in my life, I really didn’t, but as I glanced over my shoulder at her when I exited, I considered another kind of trouble I’d like to try out.
Chapter 7
Robin
I was so glad that everyone had enjoyed breakfast, and I had to admit that I was totally loving the company. New York seemed like a different lifetime, until Chris brought it up in conversation. I guess it was only normal to want to know where the strange woman who was found on the side of the road was coming from and going to, but that didn’t mean I wanted to air my dirty laundry, especially in front of his kids.
I was happily amazed at how well the children minded their father and did exactly what he asked without back talking or rolling their eyes. I had friends in the city who’d had kids and that was all I ever saw when I visited them.
So many children of today lacked the respect that we had been taught while growing up, but I guessed that was what happened in this fast-paced technology-filled world where both parents worked, and the children relied on the internet and games to connect with society. Obviously, it didn’t have to be t
hat way.
Chris led me back to the guest room, and I was both thrilled and a little concerned that it was next to his. I could imagine slipping out of my door and through his in the middle of the night. Of course, that was just a girl’s fantasy, not what would really happen.
I stood at the bedroom window and looked out over the vast backyard. There were larger mountains not too far in the distance, and the small ridge and valley behind his home reminded me of a romantic winterscape painting I’d seen in a New York gallery.
When he’d come to stand beside me, I’d finally gotten a good look at his eyes. The brightness from the outside had illuminated just how dark his green irises were, but mixed amongst the green were flecks of golden yellow. I glanced to the window. I could imagine that in the spring, when the grass was growing and the wildflowers were blooming, his eyes would match that view.
I felt the connection that he asked about stronger than I ever had, but I didn’t want to fool myself and think that it was more. It was something new, and new things were always exciting, like tasting a new dish could be. I’d worked hard trying to put foods together that would draw out the tastes from one another and enhance the quality of the food. It could smell absolutely wonderful and the first taste on the tongue would explode the palate, but as the flavors would begin to meld, they could change and become absolutely horrid.
The last thing I wanted was for either of us to find that we were sucked in by the amazing aromas of the spices, but that with just a few bites, we found it was not right for our palates.
I just couldn’t jump into something, not now, and not with a man who had two beautiful children.
We left the room that he had given me to use, and as I followed him down the hallway, I had the chance to take in his incredibly-wide shoulders and trim waist. The long-sleeved black shirt he wore clung to his body and my hands itched to reach out and touch him.
Man, I was a hypocrite on so many levels, I thought to myself as I stared at his backside and bit my bottom lip.