"This'll make a great campaign story when you run for mayor next term."
She frowned. "I didn’t do this for my campaign. I did it for you and Sofia."
"We appreciate it." He was silent for a few minutes. "Do you plan to run again as mayor?"
"I have to prove myself first. Then maybe consider another term. The townsfolk may think I don't deserve another one."
"They'd be fools to let you go,"
"If Silver Creek isn't on its feet three years down the road, or headed that way—" She made a cutting sign across her throat and halted in front of his house.
"Come on in a few minutes," he said. "For a cup of coffee and to unwind. At least, I need to."
While Holt tucked Sofia into bed, Lacy made a pot of coffee.
"Kids are amazingly resilient, aren't they?" Holt walked into the kitchen, looking somewhat relieved for the first time all evening. "She's sleeping while I'm still stewing over the 'what ifs'."
Lacy gazed at him with a warm smile. She couldn't help admiring the inherent strength of the man who'd held his little girl so tenderly during her period of trauma. Now, although his calm was restored, she knew him to be vulnerable in some ways. And strong in others. Physically, he dominated the small space of the old-fashioned kitchen, a man of muscle and strength.
But Lacy knew better. Tonight he was a man in need of comfort and solace. In that moment, she wanted to be the one to give it. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and say, There, there, it's over. Your child's okay. You did exactly the right things. She wanted to caress his brow and press his head to her breast. She wanted to kiss away the pain. She wanted more than a kiss.
Instead, she motioned jerkily to the kitchen. "I made some coffee. It’ll tide you over for the trip."
He poured himself a cup and heaved his long body down in the ladder-back chair. "Thanks. This is great." He took a couple of hot sips and ran his hand over his face, then looked questioningly at her. "What trip?"
She sat opposite him and propped her elbows on the table. "Don't you have to get that rental truck back to Tucson tonight?"
He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "Hey, it's late."
"If you don't take it back tonight, they'll charge you for an additional day," she added pointedly. "I know about this," she said, momentarily recalling the most recent and worst one, when she drove herself and her meager belongings to Silver Creek after her divorce. It was so hard to admit defeat and start over at square one. And sometimes she felt she hadn’t moved much past that first wobbly square.
"But Sofia's asleep and—"
"I'll stay with Sofia. No problem."
He looked quizzically at her. "No, it's too much to ask. You came over for a couple hours of cleaning and moving, and it's turned into an all-day-and-into-the- night ordeal."
"You aren't asking. I'm offering." She folded her arms on the table and kept her expression serious. "No, as your boss, I'm telling you. Go ahead and do the right thing."
He quirked one eyebrow. "The mayor can be a little domineering."
"How do you think I got to be mayor?"
He grinned. "Pure guts."
"I'll tell you about 'pure guts' sometime, Mr. Henderson. But right now—" Lacy straightened in her chair and gave him a demanding look "—would you quit chatting, drink your coffee and get on your way?"
He finished his coffee, then stood and stretched. Oh my, he had such a fine body, Lacy had to look away to keep from drooling, open-mouthed. "Go on now."
He gazed longingly at the open doorway to Sofia's room. "You sure?"
"Positive. She'll be fine. After that shot they gave her, she'll probably sleep the whole time and never know you're gone."
"Okay. I'll be back as soon as possible. Couple hours, max. Lock all the doors."
"We don’t have much crime about here."
"Except for joy riders." He kissed Sofia, nodded to Lacy, and drove the moving truck away.
Lacy locked the door and watched with a bit of longing as he disappeared into the darkness. She walked through the house, then sat at the table sipping the last of the coffee and listened to crickets. Otherwise, everything was quiet and peaceful, which was one of the many things she liked about Silver Creek.
But she loved the sky. At night, the heavens were busy with stars, comets, planets and anything else floating up there. But during the day, the desert sky was blue and bright, promising anything you could imagine. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
She was tired, too. But the worried expression in Holt's eyes this evening as they'd waited in the emergency room for the results of Sofia's x-rays had prompted her to want to do more for them.
Maybe it was a desire to make things right for this man she'd just hired. Strangely she felt as if Holt were an old friend. He seemed to fit in right away. He was the kind of man that Silver Creek needed. That she needed.
She finished her coffee and washed their cups in the sink. She stopped in Sofia's doorway to observe the sleeping child for a moment. The ruffled pink curtains in the little girl's room lent a feminine touch to the rather heavily masculine household.
Holt's furniture was a lot like the man. Sparse and rugged. Leather and wood. It revealed his admiration for history and southwestern design. Some of the pieces were quite unique, an eclectic collection of solid antique furniture by the man who worked on historic buildings.
In the living room, a low pigskin table with a mesquite-slat base served as a coffee table. A sturdy sofa with an oak frame was piled high with many colorful pillows. Two barrel chairs with calico cushions flanked the front window. A table lamp with a carved wooden base sat on a rough-hewn table between the chairs. In the corner, a rocker made of saguaro ribs looked so inviting that Lacy took a seat.
For all of its crude design, the chair was actually comfortable, and she leaned her head back and rocked. She wondered where Holt got the chair and if he ever sat here to rock baby Sophia.
Lacy thought of how Holt Henderson's acceptance of this job had changed everyone's outlook. Just by coming here, he had given Silver Creek an added boost of optimism. She'd always maintained hope for the town, but Holt added a missing ingredient. Confidence. There was something special about him that drew her to him. Perhaps it was his motherless child. But she couldn't deny the physical attraction that she had felt immediately for him. She'd just have to be aware and watch herself.
Lacy noticed a light in the Carson house across the street. Mrs. Carson, Sandy Amado's widowed mother, lived right next door to her daughter. She was an affectionate lady who didn't hide her disappointment that Sandy hadn't produced any grandchildren for her in four years of marriage.
Lacy felt a pang in the pit of her stomach. The memories were too real. She knew that kind of stress — and it was awful. Oh, Mrs. Carson meant well. She wanted to dote on someone, and her desire to have grandchildren was natural. But while Lacy took the occasional hints to heart, Sandy laughed them off, saying, "If Mama had to face a roomful of squirming kids every day in the classroom like I do, she'd cool it."
The real reason the Amados hadn't started a family was economic and, Lacy felt, tied directly to the poor job situation in Silver Creek. Also, Sandy and Jay had assumed the responsibility for his younger teenage brother, Steve. It was a tremendous financial burden for a young couple, especially since Jay had to travel out of town for a decent job. Now all Sandy wanted to do was to follow her husband. She felt trapped here. And Lacy couldn't blame her.
Maybe if Mrs. Carson had more to do—Lacy sat upright and snapped her fingers. She might be a good sitter for Sofia. The responsibility would give her a child to dote on, someone who needed some grandmotherly attention. Then maybe Mrs. Carson would stop pressuring Sandy to have a baby. And if her mother had a job, Sandy might feel more free to move, if that's what she really wanted to do.
Lacy heard an unfamiliar noise and listened intently for a second. Then she realized it was the sound of a child whimpering. She went to Sofia's room, murmu
ring low, soothing sounds. She adjusted the soft harness-like brace that held Sofia's shoulders back and kept her clavicle immobile until healing could take place.
"Where's my daddy?" Sofia whined sleepily.
"He's gone to take the moving truck back. I’ll be here with you until he returns a little later."
"Oh." Sofia paused as if she were thinking things through. "I'm thirsty."
"I'll get you a drink." Lacy brought her a cup of water.
"Daddy went back to our old house?" Sofia asked between sips.
"He went to get your Jeep. But he'll be back here tonight. This is your new house." Lacy smoothed the child's forehead and bent to kiss her. "When you wake up in the morning, your daddy will be here. And you'll feel better."
"I want my Daddy..." Sofia settled down on her pillow and soon drifted back to sleep.
Lacy tiptoed from the room feeling very motherly, but relieved that Sofia wasn't upset to find her father temporarily absent. She was, as Holt had said, pretty resilient and a good kid.
Lacy paused beside the open doorway to the other bedroom, Holt's room. The bed was unmade, boxes were stacked in front of the closet, and a small draftsman's table occupied the corner. Nothing in the room was arranged, and she thought of him returning in a few hours, tired and needing a place to sleep. Without thinking further, she began opening boxes and putting things away.
Shortly she had a lamp on the bedside table and the boxes shoved out of the way. She spread clean sheets on the bed and a colorful Mexican blanket over the top. The bed looked inviting, and she was tired. To rest for just a few minutes sounded like heaven.
Unable to resist the comfortable temptation, Lacy lay across the bed on top of the blanket. Almost immediately, she fell asleep.
The next thing she knew, a male voice was rumbling, "Lacy... Lacy..." She felt a man's hand on her face.
"Oh, what – " Lacy tried to sit up, half-asleep, and groped for logic. She saw Holt's face close to hers, felt his hand on her shoulder.
"Take it easy." His voice was a low rumble and she wanted to melt in his his chocolate brown eyes.
"I didn’t mean to do this," was the only thing she could think to say.
"To find the beautiful red-headed mayor in my bed is my ultimate dream." His voice was soft and a bit ragged. A late-night voice.
She swooshed her hair back in a tousled, sexy mess and tried to get up again. But he held her.
"It’s okay. I’ll keep it quiet in the next campaign, that the mayor slept in my bed . . . for a reasonable payoff." Holt lay on the bed beside her.
Lacy was immediately awake to his powerful masculine form sprawled so close to her. Of him, beside her. And her own reeling reactions to the nearness of his body. "I guess I was more tired than I thought."
"Moving can be hard work, especially when it includes a trip to the ER. How do you suppose I can thank you?" Holt kissed her ear, under hair.
She shivered and settled against him, lifting her face so he could kiss her lips. And he did, thoroughly and completely.
"I can’t believe I just kissed the mayor for the second time today," he murmured. "I hope I haven’t breached protocol, Your Honor."
Lacy felt intense warmth spread through her tired body. She had an overwhelming desire to kiss him back. "The mayor is human, you know." She moved her lips close to his and gave in to her overwhelming desire. Her kiss was deep and wet. "You’ll find I’m very human . . . "
"Hmmm. . . I can’t wait for the exploration." His hand stroked down her side, lightly, sensuously tracing her curves.
"I like a man who is good with his hands," she said breathlessly.
"That would be me."
Lacy came to her senses with a jolt. What the hell was she saying – thinking? Kissing a new employee? Lying next to him in his bed?
"No, oh no, Holt. This isn’t happening!" She hopped up off the bed, staggered a step getting her balance, and pushed her hair back. She stared at him. "I did not intend to do this."
"It's okay. Perfectly natural." He rolled on his back, propped his hands behind his head, and grinned.
She was mortified. "I- I'm really sorry."
"I'm not complaining. And don't worry about payments. I'll take it in installments." He chuckled. "How's my baby girl?"
Lacy was very aware of the powerful sight of his masculine form sprawled across the bed, next to the spot where she had just been. She tried not to look at the male part of him, but there he was, all of him so vividly inviting. She cleared her throat. "Uh, Sofia woke once. I explained that you'd be here in the morning. She went right back to sleep."
"I can't thank you enough for staying. This is definitely above and beyond the call of a mayor's duty."
"I would say 'all in a day's work,' but it has been more than usual."
"I appreciate everything." He sat up, his hands resting loosely between his knees.
"Well, I’ll be going now." Lacy headed for the front door. "Oh, incidentally, your neighbor in the pink house across the street would be an excellent sitter for Sofia. Mrs. Carson is Sandy Amado’s mother. She’s been a widow for several years and is excellent with kids. She needs something to do and helping with Sofia may be just the ticket."
"I'll check with her tomorrow. And thanks for making my bed. You can stay, if you'd like to share. I'm afraid it's all I have for now."
Lacy whirled and started for the door. "That would be thanks, but no thanks."
He followed Lacy through the hallway. "It would be great if I could get someone to keep Sofia so close to home."
Lacy liked the way he said "home," as if he'd already adopted Silver Creek. Just as she reached the door, Holt touched her hand. Sparks went all the way up her arm.
"Lacy. Thanks again for . . . for just everything."
In the shadows, she could see Holt's angular face and his dark, tired eyes. Her scrutiny dropped briefly to his mouth where she imagined placing her lips.
Holt leaned forward, letting their lips brush with a soft kiss.
Lacy trembled at his light caress. A part of her wanted to accept the full force of his kiss. Another part wanted to turn and run. She felt slightly dizzy with his overpowering nearness. Wildly attracted to his earthy fragrance, she wanted to fling herself into the strength he exuded. But she didn't... couldn't. She moved to the door.
"I hope the kiss. . . um, kisses weren’t . . . inappropriate Your Honor."
"They were uh... nice."
"Nice? Is that the best I can do?" He pretended to be insulted.
"Well, smooth." She wanted to kiss that lower lip of his.
"Not spectacular? No bells? Whistles? Rainbows?"
She let her lips tease his lightly. It was a wicked thing to do, went against all her principles, but she had to admit it. "Maybe a few sparks."
"Ummm, good. I felt a few sparks, myself."
"I'm holding out for rainbows."
"I'll see what I can do about that."
She turned and stepped into the night. It took all her strength to walk away from him.
CHAPTER SIX
Note to self: Do NOT let that happen again. OMG! Lacy Donahue, what were you thinking?
Lacy plunged her trowel angrily into the soft earth. She wiggled it, pulled it out and dug in again, carefully carving out sections of thick rosemary. She'd kept her hands busy today, trying to occupy her mind in the process. This damned stupid game she was playing with herself was to obliterate thoughts of Silver Creek's newest resident. But Holt Henderson's bold image lying on that bed wouldn't disappear from her sex-crazed brain. She wanted the man. Oh yeah. But it was nuts to even consider it. One wrong move from either of them and he'd be out of here. And they'd be up Silver Creek without a paddle. Again.
Realistically she knew that his kisses had come from a man who was very tired. And grateful. His actions were just basic instincts. Kiss and let whatever happens, happen. He probably wasn't fully aware of what he'd done and didn't even recall it today. Certainly not the way she did
.
She heard a noise at the gate and looked up in time to see that darned black cat leaping across the nasturtiums and over the fence. "I’m in the back," she called loudly to her guest, assuming it was one of her neighbors. "Thinning rosemary. Want some?"
The gate creaked, but Lacy didn't bother to look up. Visitors this time of day were common as folks stopped to chat or bring her home-baked gifts. It was one of the little pleasures of being mayor in a small town.
"Sure, I'll take thin Rosemary," a male voice said. "I'm not much of a gardener, but I can stick it in the ground and hope for the best."
"Oh." Lacy’s heart raced as she scrambled to her feet and wiped her hands on the seat of her jeans. "Hi. I didn't expect. . . uh, I thought it was one of my neighbors." Yes, she was a bit rattled by the sight of him looking so refreshed and fabulous.
"Well, I am." He chuckled. "Or doesn't the end of the street qualify as a neighbor?"
"Of course. I just didn't think you'd... er, I thought you'd be too busy getting settled today to bother with strolling through your neighborhood."
"There's more to getting settled than unpacking boxes. Like finding a good sitter for Sofia."
"How's she feeling today?"
"She's doing fine. There is some pain in her collarbone area, so she isn't moving as fast as usual. But the biggest obstacle is adjusting to that clumsy harness they put on her. It's uncomfortable, but she feels better with it on than off. Mostly it helps to remind her to be careful."
He moved farther into her backyard garden, and Lacy could see that he was alone. "Where is she?"
Under The Desert Sky (Desert Sky Series) Page 6