She nodded in understanding. “You have plenty of solitude now.”
“Yes.” And it suddenly felt less desirable than it had a week ago. “No background noise when I want peace and quiet. No one to fight with over the remote. No standing in line to use the john.”
She laughed. The small diamond studs in her earlobes winked at him through her silky black curls. “Around here, we have to take a number to use the bathroom.”
“There’s only one?”
“Nothing in this house has been updated. One bath, no dishwasher or garbage disposal. Pop doesn’t believe in sparing coin for frivolities.”
Zeke doubted that Pete Westfield had much coin to spare, period.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and before Zeke knew it, the last dish had been dried and put away. He had no further excuse to hang around.
“Well,” he said regretfully, “I guess I better scat.”
She looked up at him with those beautiful brown eyes that sucked him under and wouldn’t let him resurface to grab for breath. “It was fun. I’m glad you came over.”
Zeke seconded that sentiment. He was so damned glad. He wished she’d grab a spoon and sing to him. Anything, just so he wouldn’t have to leave. Nuts. At the back of his mind, he wondered at the insanity. He tried to think of his empty house, which waited to embrace him with silence. That was what he wanted. Right? Only when he looked into her eyes, he no longer felt so sure.
She accompanied him to the door and then followed him out onto the porch. Zeke stopped on the bottom rise and turned. She let the screen slap closed behind her and shivered in the chill night breeze.
“One thing,” she said softly.
“What’s that?” he asked.
Crickets sang in the grass behind him. He heard a cow low in the huge old barn that loomed just beyond the picket fence.
“About Tucker,” she murmured.
Zeke’s heart sank. He’d been hoping she might ask him to kiss her. Dumb thought. Natalie wasn’t that kind. She was too—well, he wasn’t sure what. Shy, he guessed, although he hadn’t a clue why. She could crook her little finger and have any man she wanted.
“Stop worrying about what he may have done with that woman. The apple never falls far from the tree. Remember? Your brother would never stoop that low.”
Zeke’s throat went tight. “That’s a mighty nice compliment you just paid me.”
“Sincerely meant.”
“You barely know me.”
“Not true. I’ve seen how you are with my kids.”
She chafed her arms, making him wish he could gather her up in a hug and share his warmth.
“Maybe I’m a great loss to the stage,” he suggested.
She shook her head. “No act can hold up around Rosie.”
“True. She does have a way of dispensing with formality, doesn’t she?”
Zeke hadn’t felt nervous about kissing a woman in years—but then, it wasn’t often he got an opportunity to kiss someone so beautiful, either. There was also the inescapable possibility that Natalie wouldn’t welcome the advance.
To test the water, he brushed a curl from her cheek, then traced the curve of her delicate jaw. She swallowed convulsively. Her lashes fluttered low. He moved closer.
“Zeke?”
“Yo,” he whispered, his mouth a scant inch from hers.
“What I said earlier, about being hurt a thousand times? I’m not looking to make it a thousand and one.”
He caught her chin on the crook of his finger and moved up a step. “No worries. I’ll never hurt you.”
“I just—”
He cut her off by settling his mouth over hers. Warm, moist silk. She tasted so damned sweet, her lips soft and tremulous, the touch of her hands hesitant and uncertain when she curled them over his shoulders. Oh, man. When her lips parted to allow him entry, he felt the punch like a fist to his gut. He cupped his other hand over the nape of her neck, his fingers closing over her thick curls. Natalie. Just like that, and he wanted her—wanted her as he’d never wanted anyone.
She moaned softly into his mouth. He felt the nervous tension leave her body. He could have taken her mouth more deeply. God knew he wanted to. But something told him to take it slowly, that a brief, polite, good-night kiss was safer. After getting a taste of her, it took all his self-control to draw away.
She looked up at him with her heart in her eyes, her expression so bewildered and confused and frightened that Zeke wanted to reassure her. He was about to do that when he heard an ominous hissing sound behind him.
“Chester, no!” Natalie cried.
Too late. Zeke’s ass exploded with pain. When he whirled to confront his attacker, all he could see was a blur of white. He cleared the porch, cursing and swinging. When his boots connected with solid ground, he was already running, the gander in hot pursuit.
“Oh, Zeke, I’m so sorry!” he heard Natalie call after him.
He was already halfway across the field.
Chapter Seven
Falling in love . . .
Over the next week, Zeke experienced for the first time how it felt to fall in love. Accidentally touching hands. Glancing up, only to look into Natalie’s eyes and forget what he meant to say. Smiling for no reason at all when he was alone. Lying awake at night because he couldn’t get her off his mind. He loved the way she laughed, the sound moving through him like sunlight. He loved the way she wrinkled her nose and rolled her sparkling eyes when she got embarrassed. He loved the little frown that pleated her brow when she grew thoughtful. He even loved the fire that flashed in her eyes when she was perturbed.
A confirmed bachelor, Zeke tried to convince himself that his feelings stemmed from a particularly strong physical attraction—a fleeting fancy, nothing more. But with each passing day, he found himself getting more involved, not only caring more for her, but also coming to care for her children.
Rosie was easy to love—an ebon-haired angel with gigantic brown eyes, irrepressible buoyancy, and a dimple that made Zeke’s heart melt every time she smiled. Chad was another story, constantly trying Zeke’s patience with his stormy mood swings, sarcastic mouth, and sulky manner, all three traits distinctly more pronounced when his mother was around. Zeke oscillated between wanting to give the kid a hard shake and aching to hug him.
As the week wore on, Zeke discovered that Chad’s self-esteem issues were even more serious than he’d originally thought. One moment, the boy could be bursting with pride over an accomplishment, and the next he was convinced that he would fail if Zeke asked him to try something new. The I-suck-at-everything attitude was so ingrained in Chad’s makeup that he was constantly fulfilling his own prophecy, screwing up the easiest tasks simply because he knew he would.
When working with Chad, Zeke found himself frequently referring back to his childhood, trying to remember how his father had handled similar situations. Sadly, though, there was no comparison between Zeke as a boy and Chad. Zeke had been around tools and workingmen from infancy. Chad was starting from scratch, not only completely inept at using tools, but also clueless about their names and what they were used for. The poor kid didn’t even know the difference between a regular screwdriver and a Phillips. As a result, Zeke found himself spending a great deal of time alone with Chad, playing teacher, while Natalie and Rosie worked together at something else.
Consequently, Zeke developed a bond with three people simultaneously, falling hard for Natalie despite his attempts not to, becoming captivated by her daughter, and developing strong paternal feelings for Chad.
By Sunday evening, one full week after kissing Natalie good night on her back porch, Zeke was beginning to feel as if he’d waded in over his head. Once he’d seen Natalie and the kids off, he sat on the side porch, gazing thoughtfully after them, his mind still shying away from what his heart already knew—that he was falling wildly in love. Given the fact that getting married and having a family weren’t in his game plan, he wasn’t sure how he felt about
that. He knew only that he meant to be damned sure of his feelings before he acted on them.
The following morning, Chad showed up at Zeke’s place alone. “Rosie’s still asleep,” the boy explained. “Mom says to tell you she’ll be here as soon as she can.”
“No problem,” Zeke said. “You hungry? I’m feeling in the mood for French toast.”
Chad’s eyes brightened. “With powdered sugar and syrup?”
Zeke laughed. “I can swing that.”
A few minutes later while they were eating breakfast, Zeke got a call from the glass shop, telling him that his sliding door panes had arrived. “Well, that throws a wrench in the fan blades,” he told Chad as he got off the phone. “If I’m going to drive clear into town this morning, I should make the trip count and spend a few hours at the store.”
“You got work to do there?”
“I went in late last night and took care of the paperwork, but there’s always something.” Zeke rubbed the back of his neck. “Monday is a big delivery day. If nothing else, I can put away stock.”
“I could help.”
Zeke studied the boy’s eager expression, silently marveling at the change in his attitude. Was this the same lippy kid who’d stood on his doorstep Saturday morning a week ago? “I appreciate the offer, Chad, but I’ll probably get sidetracked doing office stuff afterward. You can’t really help me with that, and you’d be bored out of your skull.” Zeke reached for the portable phone again. “What’s the number over at your place? I’ll call your mother and head her off at the pass.”
A moment later, Natalie answered Zeke’s call. When her sweet voice came over the line, he pictured her face and smiled. “Good morning. How are you today?”
She laughed. “I’m great, just a little sore from swinging that hammer. It’s been a number of years since I drove nails.”
Zeke glanced out the back window at the compost frame that she and Rosie had worked on together the previous day. “Never know it by the workmanship. I couldn’t have done better myself.”
“Yes, well, it’s a bit difficult to mess up a compost box.”
Zeke moved on to the reason he’d called. After explaining the situation, he said, “Anyway, if it’s all right with you, I’ll send Chad home for the day. Most of the afternoon will be shot by the time I get back.”
“That’ll be great, actually,” she confessed. “I need to take the kids shopping for school clothes, and I’d rather do it on my day off so I’m not exhausted before I start my shift.”
Zeke glanced at Chad, who had taken it upon himself to start loading the dishwasher. Pushing up from the chair, Zeke moved into the living room beyond the boy’s earshot. “Natalie, about the school clothes. I know you’re tight on money right now. I’ll be happy to float you a small loan.”
“Oh.” A long silence ensued. “That’s very kind of you, Zeke, but I can manage.”
Zeke hated to see her kids dressed in secondhand clothing, but he didn’t really know her well enough to press the issue further. “You sure? I’ve got a nice nest egg in the bank. I honestly wouldn’t miss the money. I trust you to pay it back when things get better.”
There was a smile in her voice when she replied. “I’m a Westfield. In a pinch, we get creative.”
Zeke let it go at that. He had no other choice.
Zeke was stocking shelves early that afternoon when he heard Rosie’s voice in the next aisle. He stepped onto an unopened box of oil to look over the shelf and found himself gazing down into Natalie’s beautiful brown eyes. Her cheek dimpled in a smile.
“Ah, there you are.” She placed a hand atop her daughter’s head. “The kids wanted to see your store. There was nothing for it but to bring them by. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Zeke winked at Rosie. “Stay where you are. I’ll come give you the grand tour.”
Minutes later, after guiding his guests from one department to another, Zeke led the way upstairs via the elevator.
“Pretty fancy,” Natalie commented. “Most two-level buildings don’t have lifts.”
As the door slid open onto the upstairs hallway, Zeke explained, “We had it installed for my sister, Bethany, when she moved down from Portland and went to work here. She’s a paraplegic and can’t manage stairs.”
“She used to work for you?”
“For my brother Jake, actually.” Zeke walked with them toward his office. “Long story. The Works has changed hands a few times. My father started the business but had to turn it over to Jake because of his health. Jake ran it for only a year. Then it came to me. I liked it so well, I purchased the business from my dad.”
“Oh, look, Mommy!” Rosie cried. “There are horses on the walls!”
Natalie slowed to study the horse photographs. “Are they yours?” she asked Zeke.
“They are.” Zeke indicated the first picture with a jab of his finger. “That’s Windwalker. The sorrel is named Cinnamon. The little chestnut mare is Jelly Bean.”
Chad stepped closer to study the picture gallery, which boasted snapshots of Zeke’s family members as well as his horses. “Are these your ropers?” the boy asked.
“Best roping stock in the state.” Zeke ruffled the boy’s hair. “You can take that with a grain of salt. I love them and undoubtedly think they’re more special than they actually are. They’re great animals, though.”
“Zeke says he’ll teach me to rope sometime,” Chad informed his mother.
“That would be lovely.” Natalie had moved on to look at the family snapshots. When she saw one of Bethany in her wheelchair, she said, “This must be your sister.”
“Yes.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“We think so.” Zeke joined her and pointed to another picture. “That’s Tucker and Isaiah, the day they opened their clinic,” he said. “And that’s my dad, holding Jake’s son at the hospital right after he was born. This one is of Jake and Hank at their ranch, the Lazy J. The pregnant blonde and the redhead you see in the background are their wives, Carly and Molly. The baby is due this coming spring. It’s Hank and Carly’s first child.”
“The family resemblance is incredible,” she said as she perused the collection of snapshots. “All you boys look so much like your dad.”
Zeke nodded. When they ran out of pictures to study, he turned to the kids. “How about a soda pop?”
Rosie bounced in place and clapped her hands. Chad shrugged, his standard response to most offers. Zeke directed them into his office. After getting everyone a soft drink, he seated Natalie behind his desk and grabbed a stool for himself.
“We should be going,” she said. “We’re taking up your time. I only meant to make a fast stop so the kids could see the store.”
“I’m glad you came,” Zeke said, and he sincerely meant it. It had been nice, sharing this part of his life with her. The realization was vaguely alarming. Normally, he liked to keep his social and private lives separate. With Natalie, everything was different somehow.
She took a sip of her pop and glanced at her watch. “Drink up, you guys,” she said to the children. “We have a ton of shopping left to do.”
It seemed to Zeke that Chad and Rosie guzzled their soft drinks at record speed, and before he knew it, he was escorting his guests back downstairs. He walked outside with them, loath to say good-bye even though he’d be seeing them again in the morning.
“Have fun shopping!” he called after them as they went to Natalie’s car.
Natalie turned to walk backward. “Thanks for the tour. It was fun.”
“Anytime.”
Zeke remained on the front walkway as they drove off. Anytime? He had it bad. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and, even worse, he wasn’t sure what to do about it.
That evening, Zeke had been home for no more than thirty minutes when Rosie showed up at his door. The child was decked out in what appeared to be brand-new clothes: a pretty blue top, matching shorts, and cute leather sandals.
&nb
sp; “Whoa! Just look at you,” Zeke said.
The child pirouetted on the doormat, her thin little arms held out to show off her new summer outfit. “I got bunches of school clothes, too! Mommy says I’ll be the prettiest little girl in my whole class.”
“Your mommy is absolutely right,” Zeke agreed. He just hoped Natalie hadn’t put herself in a financial bind to take the kids shopping. “I thought you were supposed to buy clothes at Goodwill.”
“We were.” Rosie’s face fairly glowed. “But Mommy was tired of her earrings and sold them at a shock hop.”
“Hockshop,” Zeke corrected. He vaguely recalled seeing diamond earrings twinkling through Natalie’s curls. It saddened him to think that she’d sold them to dress her kids. “Lucky for you she got tired of them. Looks to me like you scored big time.”
“Yep.” Rosie tipped her dark head to study him, looking so much like her mother that Zeke wanted to hug her. “Well, I guess I’d better go. I just wanted to show you my clothes.”
“I’m glad you did. That is one fine-looking outfit.”
His smile fading, Zeke gazed after Rosie as she scampered away. When the child had safely reached her own yard, he closed the door. Silence. Zeke had always enjoyed being alone, but now, suddenly, he just felt lonely. He wandered into the kitchen, opened the freezer, and stared at the food on the shelves, wondering what he should fix for supper. Nothing sounded appealing.
He thought of Natalie in the Westfield kitchen last Sunday night, waving the long-handled fork and singing. He wished she were available to burn a couple of chicken breasts for him now. Or better yet, that she’d invite him for dinner again. He had enjoyed visiting with her dad and grandfather. Tonight, with Valerie and the kids there, the conversation at the supper table was sure to be even livelier.
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