Little Cowgirl on His Doorstep (Mills & Boon Cherish) (Cadence Creek Cowboys - Book 3)

by Alward, Donna

  His lips touched the soft skin of the outside of her ear. “Never boring,” he murmured, sending chills down her spine.

  “Show me,” she suggested, surprised at herself for voicing her wants so easily.

  His hand curled around the back of her neck, firm and warm as their breath mingled. “You’re sure?” he asked, the words low and inviting.

  She nodded a little.

  His mouth met hers again, firmer, more demanding and desire spiraled through her belly straight to her core. Her pulse raced as he opened his mouth wider. Her hand slid up and tangled in his hair, fisting in the long strands. It was surprisingly soft, the whole sensation foreign from anything she’d ever experienced before.

  And yet he was true to his word. He didn’t try to push her down into the cushions of the couch or take things further than a kiss. She was as disappointed as she was relieved.

  His lips slid past the corner of her mouth and over her cheek. “We’ve got to stop,” he warned. “I have to stop.”

  “Are you sure?” she breathed, echoing his earlier words. She didn’t want him to pull away. He felt too good, too right.

  “I’m sure.” His voice was firmer now in the dark. She ran her hand over his nape and he shivered against her fingers. “Avery. If we don’t stop now I’m not going to want to stop at all.”

  “So?”

  Good heavens, where had this bravery come from? Normally so cautious, so careful. Everything well thought out. Yet right now she was prepared to throw caution to the wind for a night in Callum’s bed.

  “There’s a little girl in there who needs us to keep this uncomplicated. A kiss is one thing. Making love…”

  Avery’s breath caught. Not just having sex. He’d used the words making love, which was a whole lot different. And he was right. She swallowed and let out her breath. “It would look different in the clear light of day.”

  “Walking away from a kiss is very different than walking away after spending the night together,” he said.

  “Yet you did it with Crystal.” She said the words and could have bitten her tongue once they were out. Why, oh, why, did she feel compelled to keep bringing that up?

  “Crystal wasn’t you,” he answered simply.

  She was dying to know what that meant—and too afraid to ask. She slid back on the sofa, putting inches between them. “Well, I guess we satisfied our curiosity anyway.” She tried to inject a lightness in her voice that she didn’t feel.

  A sardonic chuckle sounded in the dark. “Not nearly. But it’s for the best. Soon you’ll be going back to Ontario. No need to make things more difficult than they need to be.”

  Did that mean he was going to miss her? It couldn’t possibly. She just hoped that he would miss Nell. And that what he meant was that there was no sense in making things weirder between them in the meantime.

  “I should probably go to bed now. It’s late.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “You must be tired.” She realized quite belatedly that he hadn’t even eaten any dinner.

  “I’ll be along in a bit,” he said.

  She got up, found her knees a bit wobbly. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning, then,” she offered weakly. “Good night.”

  “Night,” he replied.

  When Avery finished brushing her teeth and came out of the bathroom, he was still sitting in the same spot.

  And she was staring at the ceiling a long time later when she heard him finally get up and make his way down the hall to his bedroom.

  As Avery cracked eggs into the frying pan, she realized how very right Callum had been to shut things down last night.

  Right now he was behind her, playing with Nell while Avery made breakfast. There’d been an awkward pause first thing when he’d entered the kitchen, but then he’d covered it and simply said good morning before turning his attention to his daughter.

  His daughter. That was what Avery had conveniently put to the back of her mind last night when it had been dark and late and he’d been far too tempting.

  A shout came from behind her and she spun, spatula in hand, to find Nell in Callum’s arms, her tiny fingers fisted in his hair. His head was at an odd angle because she was yanking on it. Nell seemed totally unconcerned.

  Avery’s hand flew to her mouth as she laughed. “And now you understand why I wear ponytails most of the time.”

  With one hand he untangled his hair from Nell’s grip. When he looked up his eyes had watered and Avery laughed again.

  “I suppose I should see a barber. I’ve let it go for far too long.” He put Nell back in her seat and buckled the clips to keep her from scooting out.

  She wondered why he’d neglected cutting his hair. Granted, his house had been a bit of a disaster when she’d arrived, but from what she could see of his farm and equipment, he kept things neat and in tip-top shape. Maybe it was all part of his recluse act—an act she was starting to see through more each day.

  “I could cut it for you if you have a good pair of scissors,” she offered.

  “You could?” He raised one skeptical eyebrow. “I know you can make cupcakes and probably have other talents, but I’m not sure I want to be your guinea pig when it comes to haircuts.”

  “Suit yourself. You can always drive into town to the barber shop—you do have one, right? Or I think I saw a salon on Main Street somewhere. The ladies there would probably throw in a head massage,” she teased.

  Truthfully she’d gotten used to the longer look, especially after tangling her fingers in it last night. Heat rose to her cheeks and she turned back to flip the eggs.

  “It’s just hair. I could let you have a go at it and save myself the twenty bucks. Of course if you ruin it, I can always get it shaved off in town. I haven’t had the army look for a while.”

  “Why’d you leave the forces, anyway?” Avery was glad for a change of subject, giving her something else to focus on. “From what I gathered, you were itching to get back after Pete’s wedding.”

  He was so quiet that she frowned and turned back around. He was staring out the kitchen window, his shoulders tensed.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  He shrugged and turned back, but the tight expression on his face reminded her of the first day when he’d opened the door to find her standing on his step. He’d loosened up a lot since then, but whatever had prompted him to lock himself away here hadn’t gone away. She’d initially figured it was Jane and how she’d broken his heart. But now she wondered if it was something more.

  “Let’s just say I left before they could kick me out,” he replied. “Those eggs ready yet?”

  He reached for a plate on the counter but she pulled it out of reaching distance. “Why would they have kicked you out?”

  He frowned, looking surprised she was holding his plate hostage and annoyed at her question. “The eggs are going to burn.”

  “I turned off the heat.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

  He sighed. “Fine. Let’s just say I had a bit of a problem with authority when I went back on that last deployment.”

  “You? Mr. Straight and Narrow?”

  He held out his hand for the plate. She put two eggs on it, added a few strips of bacon and gave it to him.

  In return he gave her one more tidbit. “I was angry all the time. About Jane, about the baby. About life. I mouthed off a little too often to the wrong person.”

  “What happened?”

  He sat down at the table and cut across an egg with the side of his fork, popped the piece in his mouth and chewed. “Good eggs,” he said, reaching for his coffee. Avoiding her eyes.

  Message received. She’d gotten as much out of him as she was going to today.

  She sat down across from him and nibbled at her breakfast but in the silence she was transported back to last night on the couch in the gray light of the living room. Hearing him say a kiss was easier to walk away from than making love.

  He was a complicated man
. He was her niece’s father, for heaven’s sake! And a man she was going to be connected to for years to come. He was right. Going to bed with him would have been a mistake—not to mention completely out of character for her.

  All the rationale in the world didn’t stop the wanting, though. And neither did the daylight.

  He finished his meal in record time and took his plate to the sink. “I’ll take you up on your haircut offer this evening, if it still holds,” he said, stopping by the doorway to the kitchen.

  “It does.” Swallowing, she gathered the courage to ask him a favor. “Callum, do you think I could borrow your truck again today? I have an idea for the Butterfly House cupcakes but I can’t get the materials here in Cadence Creek.”

  He frowned. “I could probably take you, if you can wait a few hours.”

  “But you must have stuff to do here. I don’t want to take you away from work. I probably should have kept the rental…”

  “I don’t mind you using the truck. But are you sure you can park that beast?”

  She nodded. “From what I gather, there’s tons of parking and it shouldn’t be too busy on a weekday. I’ve driven our bakery delivery truck before. I’m sure I’ll be fine, as long as you don’t need it.”

  “Then go ahead. I don’t need to use it today.”

  “Thanks, Callum.”

  He was just about ready to leave when she added, “Is there anything you need in Edmonton?”

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “I’ll have my cell. You can call me if you think of anything.”

  “Okay.” He took the keys out of his pocket and put them on the counter. “Drive safe,” he said, before leaving the kitchen and heading back outside.

  That had been remarkably easy, she realized. It was a shock to realize he trusted her. It wasn’t just a truck, it was his main farm vehicle, too.

  In just a matter of days their lives had managed to intertwine in small and subtle ways.

  Going back to her quiet apartment suddenly seemed more of a letdown than something she was looking forward to.

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE TOWEL WAS wrapped around Callum’s neck and he closed his eyes as Avery pulled the comb through his hair. She’d suggested he wet it first and then shower later to wash off any pieces of hair not collected by the towelcape. Over and over she combed through the long strands, getting out any tangles before starting to use the scissors. It felt wonderful.

  Why had he let it get this long? He finally admitted to himself that it was about turning his back on his old life. If the old Callum shaved his head and said Yes, sir, the new Callum would be completely different. He’d wear his hair however he damn well pleased and he’d be his own boss, thank you very much. In control of his own life and destiny.

  Until, of course, Avery had shown up with Nell. Suddenly he wasn’t the only person who mattered most. Avery had no idea that this was about more than a haircut. It was letting go of the one thing that had kept him going since coming back from deployment. Being totally different and in charge.

  “You ready?”

  He nodded.

  The first snip of scissors and a chunk of hair dropped to the floor. Another, and another, until the chair was surrounded by the dark strands. Her hands felt wonderful running over his scalp, the snip-snip of the scissors hypnotic as she moved to one side, then the other. She stepped in front of him and worked on the front, his gaze level with her breasts and he swallowed. Last night he’d done the right thing by walking away. Didn’t mean he didn’t go to bed and think about what might have happened.

  He held perfectly still as she shaped the hair around his ears and along the back of his neck, the blades of the scissors cool against his skin. Finally she stepped back. “I think that’s it. Go tell me what you think.”

  He got up carefully, shaking out any extra hair onto the floor, then went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. It surprised him to see his face so clearly. She’d done a good job. One sideburn was slightly longer than the other, but he could fix that when he shaved with a quick flick of the razor. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t military-short, either. It was somewhere in between and he kind of liked it.

  “Is it okay?” She’d come up behind him silently and he turned away from the image in the mirror.

  “It’s great. It’ll be a lot cooler for sure.”

  “And no baby-pulling,” Avery added with a smile.

  “Definitely a bonus.”

  His gaze met hers and she stared at him for a long moment. “What?” he asked.

  “Oh.” She laughed a little. “Nothing. I’d better go get this swept up.”

  While she went back to the kitchen to sweep up the hair, he turned on the shower. The back of his neck was starting to itch and he figured he’d better get the extra hair washed off before it drove him crazy.

  When he came back out of the bathroom, he heard her humming in the kitchen as dishes clattered. There was the shake of the rattle beating an off-time percussion to the tune and he stopped, his heart in his throat.

  This was what he’d always wanted. What he’d thought he’d have—what he’d almost had with Jane. Home and family. A wife and a baby, regular everyday sounds that probably seemed mundane to anyone else but meant so much to him. He’d always had that at home—parents that had stuck together and his brother and sister to look out for. It wasn’t until he was grown that he realized how very rare it was for a marriage to last like theirs had. Or how lonely it would be to almost have it and lose it from right beneath his nose.

  He was fooling himself with Avery. One kiss didn’t mean much in the big scheme of things. She was leaving and going home in a matter of days. And there was no way in hell he was going to make a fool of himself by trying for something more only to get a slap in the face. Her life was there. Her job—the job she loved—was there. She wasn’t about to give it up for some small-potatoes dairy farmer in this sleepy small town.

  But if time was running out with her, it was also running out with Nell, and he wanted to make the most of the days and hours left. Resolved, he stepped inside the kitchen. Avery was standing at the counter with mixing bowls and a variety of ingredients out on its surface.

  “Baking?”

  She grinned. “Trying out a few new recipes. I want the rodeo day to have something super special.”

  “Why don’t I take Nell off your hands? It’s a nice night. I thought I’d take her outside for a while.”

  Surprise widened her eyes. “That’d be fine.”

  He nodded. “She won’t be here much longer. I need to get in all the time I can.”

  He reached into the seat and plucked the baby out, settling her weight at his elbow.

  Avery’s eyes glistened at him. “Thank you,” she murmured, putting down a measuring cup. “For being so accepting and making the effort you have.”

  “I’m her father,” he said simply. “And it’s my job to do what’s best for her.”

  He left Avery in the kitchen and headed out the door, intent on showing Nell the garden and the rosebushes and the waving fields where his cows grazed.

  He’d said it was his job to do what was best for her. Trouble was, he really had no idea what that was. He was totally flying blind.

  Avery let out the breath she was holding.

  Callum had taken Nell outside and she could see them through the window, walking by the edge of the vegetable garden. Nell wasn’t even six months old yet and he was talking to her—Avery could see his lips move—and pointing at something on a plant. Seeing his dark head next to Nell’s sent something tender to her heart. She was glad he was embracing fatherhood. But it made her feel guilty to know she was going to be tearing them apart in a week’s time.

  She put her attention back to her batter, alternating milk and flour until it was smooth as silk. Cutting Callum’s hair had been far more intimate than she’d expected. Just touching him as she measured the strands between her fingers and clipped with the scissors ha
d put her senses on high alert. And when she’d gone to stand in front of him, and could feel the warmth of his breath flutter her blouse, it had been all she could do to stop herself from taking his face in her hands and kissing him again.

  What in the world had come over her? It had been a long time since she’d been in a relationship, but this sort of behavior, this aching need for him, was completely unlike her.

  And now his hair was shorter and he looked completely different. Less dangerous, but it brought out the angle of his cheekbones and the color of his eyes, a warm, chocolaty shade that seemed to cut right into the heart of her.

  For a minute she considered what would happen if she decided to move closer to Cadence Creek. He’d be able to see Nell more often, but that also meant their paths would cross frequently. As far as her apartment, well, it was home but there was no one waiting for her anymore. The true sticking point was her job. She loved it. She’d even planned on revisiting the topic of expanding The Icing on Top with Denise—with the idea that she could manage a second store once Nell was a bit older.

  Now Callum’s words echoed in her head. I’m her father, and it’s my job to do what’s best for her.

  She was Nell’s mother now, so wasn’t it also her job to put Nell first? And wouldn’t being closer to Callum be best for his daughter?

  Somehow she’d have to find a way to put these feelings that kept cropping up to the wayside. And she definitely wasn’t going to decide anything right away. If she were to move, it was a big decision and she had to make sure she had a way to support the both of them first, wherever they landed. Callum would pay child support, she knew that. But she also knew she wouldn’t rely on him to support her. She would look after herself—and her share of Nell’s expenses. She would never, ever take advantage of Callum that way, especially knowing about his past.

  First she had to get this batch of cupcakes into the oven. And get the order for the rodeo out of the way.

  Then maybe she could start putting out feelers—maybe in Edmonton, or even Calgary. A few hours’ drive was way better than halfway across the country, right?