Harlequin Romance September 2013 Bundle: Bound by a BabyIn the Line of DutyPatchwork Family in the OutbackStranded with the Tycoon

by Kate Hardy

  “We take him home, Mama?” Eli asked, and Callie nodded. There was something off with the dog today. Maybe he didn’t like the coming weather, either. She looked across the street. The truck was in the driveway.

  “Yep, we need to get him home. Let’s go before it rains.” The kids shoved their feet into their boots and they all trekked across the street, only to meet Matt coming out.

  “Sorry, Callie. Darn it, I thought I’d gotten the problem fixed.” He reached for Aldo’s collar and his fingers brushed hers. She couldn’t let go of the collar, as she felt the dog quivering under her hand, but more than that felt the heat from Matt’s touch—and it wasn’t even intentional.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance and Aldo hit the ground on his belly, whining. Callie let go, startled. Eli and Liam looked at Matt with huge eyes. “Doggie scared,” said Liam, and Matt nodded.

  “He is. Loud noises scare him. It’s left over from where he lived before. I’m going to get him inside, where he feels safer.”

  “I don’t like thunder, either,” said Eli solemnly, and Callie caught Matt’s gaze.

  “Lots of people don’t like thunder,” he said calmly, and smiled at the boy. “You aren’t the only one.”

  Callie glanced at the sky, which was the purple of a particularly violent bruise. She understood what Aldo was feeling. Her own anxiety was rising. But she forced her voice to be calm. “Well, we’ll head back in. Maybe put on a movie.” She started to turn the boys in that direction, and Aldo barked again.

  “Why not come to my place?” The words were out before Matt could stop them. It was actually supposed to be a severe storm, so having them in his house meant he wouldn’t worry about them. He wasn’t responsible for them, he knew that. But they were beginning to be important to him.

  “Can we, Mom? Can we?” Both boys turned their considerable charm on their mother, who gave Matt an exasperated look. He should have asked her first, out of their earshot.

  Thunder rumbled again and Aldo whimpered harder. Callie looked up again as the wind gusted harder. “Okay,” she said, though reluctance was clear in her voice. “I’m going to grab a couple things. We’ll be over in five.”

  He glanced at the sky. They wouldn’t have much longer than that. Aldo’s reaction told him this wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill storm. “Leave them with me. But Callie? Hurry.”

  “Boys, go with Matt.” She met his gaze and he knew how hard it was for her to let them go. “I’ll be right back.”

  He turned the boys and the dog toward his house, and she dashed off toward her own home. Aldo let out a howl that made him shiver.

  The boys’ eyes were still huge. Matt smiled at them, hoping to reassure them. “He’s okay, guys. Just doesn’t like storms. He’ll be okay. How about a snack?”

  “Okay,” Eli said, looking a little more heartened, and Liam nodded, too.

  Aldo took off for Matt’s room, where Matt knew he’d settle in under the bed.

  He’d left the TV on and the weather guy was talking. Not wanting to scare them, Matt grabbed the remote and muted it, then herded them into the kitchen. He didn’t have much in the way of snacks, but maybe he had some crackers or something else kid-friendly. He pulled open the fridge. A carton of milk, a few beers. Eggs. Cheese. Takeout containers. He pulled out the cheese and pushed the door shut. Doubtful anything else in there was edible. Callie wouldn’t be happy if he gave the kids food poisoning.

  * * *

  What was she thinking? Callie rummaged around, unplugged her computer, flipped on a couple lights so they wouldn’t come home to a dark house. Aldo’s reaction had unnerved her. She didn’t like storms herself. Never had. Jason used to laugh at her, but he’d been only too happy to distract her from her fear in the sweetest of ways.

  Obviously Matt wasn’t going to do that.

  Refocusing, she tossed a few extra things into the diaper bag they didn’t really need anymore, but which still came in handy. Snacks, a couple movies so the kids could choose, a sippy cup for Liam. Her phone, charger, her keys. A book, so she could pretend to be detached. Glow sticks just in case the power went out. Heaven forbid.

  By the time she was on her front porch, locking the door, the wind had kicked up and the rain was starting. She raced across the street and found Matt waiting for her, the door open.

  “Just in time,” he observed, closing it behind her. The thunder crashed, earning shrieks—not entirely of fear—from the kitchen, and Callie jumped.

  She saw the concern on his face, and she felt her own heat in response. It was a silly thing, to be afraid of storms as an adult. He said nothing, though, and she turned away to rummage in the bag for the movies. “Is it okay if they watch these?”

  “Of course.” He led the way into the living room. Callie toed off her shoes and followed him. He lowered his voice. “We’ll need to keep an eye out though, Callie. Some of these weather warnings look bad.”

  “Oh.” She stared at the radar on the muted screen, at the angry swirl of reds and yellows rolling off Lake Michigan. That looked worse than “bad.”

  He changed the channel to the video setting. “I’ve got another TV in the kitchen, and my laptop is charged. So we’ll use those to keep an eye on the weather. Don’t want to freak out the kids.”

  She was touched by his thoughtfulness. “Right. Of course not. Thank you.”

  The kids came into the living room and wrapped themselves around her. She held them, tamping down her own dislike of turbulent weather so they wouldn’t pick up on it. Storms tended to be violent in the spring. Not always resulting in things like tornadoes, but high winds, hail and lots of noise. Messy.

  “Let’s get this started,” she said as cheerfully as she could manage. “Which one?”

  The kids picked a Bob the Builder movie and Matt got it going. The boys settled on the couch with their special blankets that she’d grabbed, hoping they’d help keep the kids calm.

  Matt met Callie in the kitchen. It was a guy kitchen, she thought, momentarily distracted by the huge coffee machine. He followed her gaze and gave a small smile.

  “Good coffee was at a premium in my unit,” he said. “Now that I’m out, it’s one of those things I make sure I always have on hand.”

  “Makes sense,” she agreed, and scanned the rest of the room.

  The counters were bare except for a TV and toaster, and his laptop was open. There were cracker crumbs on the counter, where the boys must have been sitting. Her own counters were cluttered with canisters, kid stuff, paper, a few other appliances. She wasn’t sure how Matt did it. Of course, when you lived alone, there was far less stuff. Especially if, as he claimed, he didn’t cook.

  He turned the TV on low as the wind picked up outside. She moved to the window to see tree branches whipping around and rain falling in sheets. It was dark enough that the streetlights had clicked on, even though it was still fairly early.

  “Where’s Aldo?” she asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t seen him since she’d come in.

  “Under my bed,” Matt answered. “I check on him occasionally, but he won’t come out until it’s over.”

  Callie understood completely. There were times she’d like to crawl under the bed and not come out. She felt a twinge of empathy for the embattled dog.

  The weatherman talked on, showing places where hail was likely. Callie could hear it, hitting the roof and the porch. Matt gestured to her and she came over to see it layering the deck and yard in an icy mess. “Dime-size,” he murmured. “Big enough to do quite a bit of damage.”

  The lights flickered and a cry went up from the living room. Callie hurried in there. Losing power was not on her list of favorite things to do with kids. They looked at her with big eyes and she sat on the couch between them and pulled them into her arms. They snuggled in and Callie forced her breathing to be
level and even.

  The power flickered again, then went out just as a huge crack sounded across the street. Callie jumped a mile, the kids screamed and Matt was in the room before she could even get to her feet.

  “What was that?” She couldn’t keep the wobble of fear out of her voice. It was dark in here, too dark. “Where’s the bag? Guys, calm down, it’s okay. I’ve got glow sticks.”

  “I think it’s in the kitchen. Hold on.” Thunder cracked again and she sat back down. Both kids immediately tried to climb into her lap, whimpering.

  Matt was back in just a minute with a flashlight and the bag. She took both and, even with the kids on her lap, rummaged for the glow sticks she’d thrown in. She bent them to start them glowing and handed one to each boy. The bright sticks distracted them enough so they got off her lap, but sat close to her still. She slipped her arms around their shoulders and hugged them. “It’s an adventure, guys. And it’s almost over.” She hoped.

  “Callie.” Matt was behind her, his tone grim. She looked up, and he pointed at the kids and shook his head.

  “I’ve got to get up, guys.” She kissed each one on the head with a calm she didn’t feel, and walked over to Matt, the flashlight shaking in her hand.

  He caught her hand and held it tight as he led her to the door. She let him, because he was scaring her. “Look.”

  She gasped when she followed his pointing finger. The tree in her front yard had come crashing down and her house was hidden behind the massive branches. Matt grabbed her when she reached for the door handle with a half sob.

  “You can’t go over there,” he said. “Not yet. Not in the lightning. Look at the tree.”

  He was right, of course. In the flashes, she could see it had split clean in half, a sure sign it had been hit by lightning. Tears welled up and the flashlight fell to the floor as she pressed both hands to her mouth.

  “My house. Matt! My house,” she whispered, panic, fear and a kind of sickness welling up in her in one nauseating brew. She shook so badly that she didn’t protest when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. She didn’t know if she could have stayed upright on her own. She burrowed in, gripping handfuls of his shirt, trying to stay under control, feeling his heartbeat under her cheek. Breathe.

  “I don’t want the boys to see this,” she whispered, and Matt stroked her hair and down her spine, then back up. Behind them, the kids were doing some sort of mock saber battle with the glow sticks. Thank God they were distracted.

  Even in her panicky state, it felt good to lean on someone. Just for a few minutes. To draw strength from another person. This was what she’d missed so much about being married.

  “You can stay here tonight,” he said simply. “There’s room. I’ve got an extra bedroom, and sleeping bags for the kids. You can have my room and I’ll sleep on the couch. We’ll go look at the mess as soon the storm stops enough that it’s safe to go outside.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering exhalation. She stepped back, but Matt kept his arms around her loosely. She couldn’t make herself pull away and break the connection that she desperately needed. He was right. Depending on where the tree had landed, there was a chance her house wasn’t even habitable. “Okay. We’ll stay here.” A thought struck her and she turned to look again. “Matt. Is it on Colleen’s, too?” She knew her neighbor wasn’t home. She and her family had left on a vacation a few hours ago.

  “I don’t think so. It’s hard to tell from this angle, though.”

  Callie pulled away this time and he let her go, his hands grazing her hips as she moved away. She turned to look back at the broken tree, and squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to stop a new flood of tears from breaking free. Crying would get her absolutely nowhere. She refocused on the issue at hand.

  There was a change of clothes for both boys in the bag. Hopefully, a nighttime diaper for Liam, too. But nothing for her.

  Though clearly, she couldn’t go home yet.

  “Thanks for letting us stay,” she said, and her voice shook only a little.

  Matt squeezed her shoulders, then let go. “You’re welcome. I’ll go check as soon as the lightning lets up.”

  She thought of the rain pouring into her little house, if there were holes. Tears pricked her eyes and she tried very hard to keep them in. She didn’t want the boys to see her cry, and get worried.

  Matt lifted her chin with a finger and that was all it took. “Oh, Callie. Come here.” He pulled her in and she leaned on his solid chest, taking in his scent, once again feeling the steady beat of his heart under her cheek. It’d been so long since she’d just—just been held. She couldn’t stop the seep of tears, but managed to swallow back any embarrassing sobs. She trembled from the effort and his arms tightened around her.

  * * *

  He was a total heel.

  Here Callie was, all upset and emotional and worried, and he had her in his arms and was responding to her in the most inappropriate way.

  It wasn’t okay at any point. But now, when she was so upset? That made it worse. He tried not to think of her, not to breathe in her scent, not to notice the crush of her breasts against his chest. Again.

  She stepped back and he let her go, far too reluctantly. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “We’ll get through tonight and deal with the whole thing in the morning.”

  She sniffled a little, swiped her eyes and almost smiled. “Gosh. Sorry for all the waterworks.” She took a shuddering breath.

  “You’ve got reason,” he said simply.

  “Boys,” she said as she went back over to them. “We’re going to stay here tonight. Since we’re already here.” Her tone was mostly light and both kids cheered.

  “Can we sleep with Aldo?” Eli asked, and Matt saw Callie shake her head.

  “I don’t know about that,” she said. “We are guests and Aldo belongs to Matt.”

  “When he comes out, he might come find you,” Matt said. “But it takes him a bit to settle down after a storm.”

  “It’s dark,” whimpered Liam, and Callie lifted him in her arms.

  “It is,” she agreed. “But you guys have your glow sticks. These big ones will stay lit all night. We’ll put one in the bathroom, too, if that’s okay?” She turned to face Matt.

  “Of course,” he said. Candles obviously wouldn’t be a good plan with little kids, though he’d light some for the kitchen counter and other places that were elevated and out of the reach of little hands. He gave her major props for thinking of the glow sticks.

  “Prepared for anything?” he asked, nodding at the package of them she’d fished out of the seemingly bottomless bag. She gave him a sheepish little smile.

  “Yeah. I learned a while ago that these work well in the dark. Enough light they can see, but not so much they’ll stay awake. And the novelty is a distraction. So I keep them on hand for things like this.”

  She clearly thought everything through. Planned for all eventualities. But from the shell-shocked look he could see in her eyes, he knew the disaster with the tree had thrown her way off. If there was one thing he was learning about Callie, it was that she was afraid to let things get out of her control.

  “The rain is letting up,” he noted. The time between the thunder and the lightning strikes was increasing, indicating the storm was moving off. He’d be able to go check the situation soon. If there was roof damage, he had a couple tarps, assuming the tree hadn’t gone all the way through.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked Eli and Liam. “It’s letting up. And it’s almost bedtime. Let’s get that going, shall we?”

  The kids were cheered by no baths, and Callie was clearly not happy with no toothbrushes. Matt rolled out the sleeping bags on the floor of the bedroom he was using as a weight room, and took two pillows off his bed. Then he stepped back as she
tucked them in, with the stuffed animals they’d brought and a glow stick within reach of each boy. She joined him at the door and gave him a wan little smile.

  “They’re pretty worn out from all the excitement. I think they’ll drop off pretty quickly, if Mother Nature cooperates.”

  “All right.” He could see the squirmy little bundles on the floor and doubted they’d be out anytime soon, but what did he know? He wasn’t a dad. His experience with kids was little to none. “I’m going to go look. Do you want to come, or want me to go check first?”

  She closed her eyes, then opened them. “I’m going with you.” Then her eyes went wide. “Oh, no! I completely forgot. My in-laws are collecting the kids first thing tomorrow. I’d better call them. Do you think they can get down the street?” She ran back to the bag and dug around until she pulled out her phone.

  “Let’s go see. It’s still raining a bit.” He took a windbreaker out of his hall closet and handed it to her. “Be a little big,” he noted as she slipped it on. It hit her at the knee, and in spite of himself he grinned. “Nice look.”

  She rolled the sleeves up. “I bet. Thanks. Let’s go.”

  Hail crunched under their feet as they walked up to the sidewalk. Now Matt could see the power line under the tree. He grabbed her hand. “Watch out. That’s live.”

  She followed his gaze and her eyes widened. “Does that mean we can’t get over there?”

  He shook his head. “Not until the power company arrives.”

  There were branches down, but other than Callie’s tree, the street looked passable. She called her in-laws and Matt stepped away to study the damage.

  A few minutes later she came back over to him. “They’ll be here tomorrow morning.” She gestured at the tree across her driveway. “Since I won’t be getting my van out.”

  “Nope.”

  He caught the sideways look she sent him. “Any chance I can get in there and get their weekend bags? They are all packed. The bedrooms are in the back.”