“So you know she talked to me?”
“Yeah, about your ulterior motive in looking after Danielle.”
“She invited me to lunch at her house to chat.” There was a twinkle in his eyes.
“Sloan, I’m so sorry. She shouldn’t have done that.”
“It gets better,” he said.
His expression was wry and she got it right away. “Brady, too?”
“Man to man,” he confirmed.
“That, I didn’t know about. Tell me he didn’t hit you,” she said, a little horrified.
“I was more concerned about him hacking into the company computers and giving us a virus that would wipe out everything. But we talked it through.”
“Hugged it out?” she asked.
“And sang, ‘Kumbaya,’” he teased.
“Seriously, Sloan, I’m so embarrassed. It never occurred to me that they would interfere and bother you.”
“No bother.” He smiled at the child in her arms, squirming to get down. “They’re concerned about you. I respect that.”
“There’s concern and then there’s meddling. I’ll talk to them. Make sure they don’t bother you again.”
“It’s no bother, Maggie. Forget about it.”
“As if that’s going to happen.” She set Danielle on the floor but held on to her. The little girl was pulling against the grip, practically quivering to get into trouble. “I apologize again. And thanks for dropping her off.”
“I was coming into town anyway. Maybe the spirit of this town and helping your neighbors is rubbing off on me.” He shrugged. “Now I have to get to work.”
“Right.” There was a frustrated wail from her daughter, who was still desperately trying to get away. “And I have to see if Mom can watch her.”
“I’ll see you for dinner?”
“You will. It’s chicken piccata night.”
“My favorite. Later, then.” He looked at her and, just before he walked out the door, something smoldered in his eyes. Something that had her quivering from head to toe, some parts more than others.
Maggie felt the quivers give way to goose bumps as she watched him through the window. She wasn’t sure if the neighborliness of this town was rubbing off on him, but he was certainly rubbing off on her.
She felt cracks in her resistance to him and was fairly certain that surrender couldn’t be far behind.
Chapter Twelve
“So the sheriff is holding his own?” With the phone to her ear, Maggie leaned back against the kitchen island and waited for Josie to answer.
“They did tests and he’s resting comfortably. Doctors will talk to him tomorrow about the results. Will Fletcher is flying in from Chicago,” her friend said. “But he can’t get here until morning. So I’m going to stay with Kim until then.”
“How’s her son?” Maggie knew Tim was fourteen and probably worried about his grandfather.
“He’s staying with a friend because he’s in school. But she calls him or texts all the time. So he’s hanging in there.”
“Good.” Maggie knew that was the best thing. “And thanks for letting me know you won’t be back tonight. I would worry.”
“You’re sweet. I’m so sorry about not being able to watch Danielle. Did it mess you up a lot?”
Only where Sloan was concerned. Seeing him effortlessly handling her daughter had flipped a switch inside her. She glanced at him carrying dishes into the kitchen from the dining room.
Grandma had not been free today, which meant Danielle had hung out in her office. Dinner had been later than usual tonight because the work schedule had fallen apart. It had just been her and Sloan, what with Josie at the hospital and Danielle in bed early for lack of a nap. Now Sloan was helping with dishes instead of leaving it to her like any respectable paying guest would.
How was a girl supposed to resist that?
“Maggie?”
“I’m here.” Although her mind was on how sexy Sloan looked in his worn jeans.
“Good, I thought I’d lost you,” Josie said. “Did everything work out all right with Danielle?”
“It’s fine.” That was one good thing about being your own boss. Things worked out; it just took a little longer sometimes than others. “Don’t worry about us. Just concentrate on Kim, and if she needs anything let me know. Give her hugs from us.”
“Will do. Talk to you tomorrow. ’Bye, Maggie.”
“’Bye.” The phone went dead and she set it back on the charger.
“What’s up?” Sloan set glasses in the sink then met her gaze.
“Hank Fletcher is stable. In the morning the doctors are going to give him test results. There will be more news then.”
He nodded and went back to the dining room, returning with leftovers. “So right now it’s no news is good news.”
“Yes.” She stared at him displaying his domestic side. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re getting ready to do the dishes.”
“Look at you. Miss Observant.” He grinned. “Not just another pretty face.”
The compliment, teasing though it was, warmed a cold, dark place inside her that hadn’t been touched in a long time. She didn’t have the energy or will to seal it off now.
“You do know that being charming doesn’t mean you get to have your way here in my kitchen.”
“Okay.” He nodded thoughtfully, but his eyes were twinkling. “Then, let’s just go with the fact that hospitality is your goal and it would be hospitable to just give in and let me help.”
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”
“No.”
“Then, let’s go with hospitality.” Be still my heart, she thought. “I’ll put the food away.”
“Teamwork,” he said. “I like it.”
And she liked him. So much more than she wanted to. Maggie’s hands were busy and so was her mind. As she put leftover chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans into containers, she was trying to figure out Sloan Holden’s deal. He must have a flaw. Everyone did. No one was this nice, this perfect.
More than that, no man that nice and so nearly perfect should still be an eligible bachelor. Except he’d told her why he would never get married again. So she was pretty far gone that even his honesty was sexy to her. How could she not admire that he’d put his cards on the table and let a woman decide whether or not to play when she knew what the game was?
So far, Maggie had resisted him, but the longer they were alone, the more she believed him being alone was somehow wrong.
“It’s been one of those days for you,” he said when the kitchen chores were finished. “What do you think about you and I having a glass of wine?”
Her head was warning danger, but her hormones were telling her head to shut the heck up.
The hormones won. “Great ideas like that are responsible for your business success.”
“Nice to be appreciated. And I have another world-class suggestion.”
“What would that be?” she asked.
“We should turn on the gas log in the fireplace and have our wine in the great room.” Flecks of gold in his brown eyes glowed with a hint of challenge.
God help her, that dare sounded wonderful and she couldn’t walk away from it tonight. “Another great idea.”
Look at her—all grown-up and sophisticated. No nerves in her voice, at least none that she could detect. This was just too much temptation to defend against. Talking with a handsome man in front of a fire. There was no harm in that, right?
She retrieved a bottle of cabernet from the center island’s built-in wine rack, then Sloan expertly opened it with the corkscrew she handed him. After she pulled two stemmed glasses from the china hutch in the dining room, he poured and then held one out to her.
“Let’s go sit.” She turned off all but the beneath-the-cabinet lights to dim the brightness.
He followed her into the other room. Beside the river-rock fireplace was a switch, and when she flipped it, flames instantly danced around the gas log, which was behind glass doors.
Sloan waited until she sat on the sofa, then lowered himself beside her, not too close, but close enough to touch her without moving.
Maggie was suddenly nervous and took a sip of wine. “This is—nice.”
“Out of all possible words to use, nice is the best you could come up with?”
“Do we need to have another stern talk about your ego, Mr. Holden?”
He laughed. “With you there’s never a risk of it getting out of control. I was just hoping for a little more detail about what you’re feeling.”
“Okay.” She took another sip of the deep red liquid. “I can’t remember the last time I had a relaxing evening stretching in front of me. Usually it’s bath time, then a battle to convince a reluctant toddler she should get some sleep.”
“It’s a lot of work.” He drank his wine and watched her.
“That’s an understatement.” Maggie would never be sure why the next words came out of her mouth, but once said there was no putting them back. “Danny wanted children right away. He said it would make him the happiest man on earth if I got pregnant on our honeymoon.”
“But you didn’t agree.” He shrugged as if to say it was a no-brainer. “You said he wanted it. Not that the two of you did.”
“You’re observant, too.” Maggie met his gaze. Flames reflected in the green flecks in his brown eyes, but there was no judgment in his expression. “I wanted to wait. We had a lot going on with getting the ice cream parlor opened. And I just wanted time for the two of us alone.”
“That’s understandable. A child changes everything forever.” He half turned toward her, his long legs just inches away now. “It’s practical. Syd and Burke are waiting.”
“And you know all this how?” She sipped from her glass.
“There was a meeting about the resort hotel plans in Burke’s office not long ago and Ellie McKnight was there. The subject just came up.”
That made her smile. “Is having children a normal topic of conversation during a meeting about blueprints?”
He shook his head and managed to look only a little sheepish. “It’s what I like to call the Blackwater Lake Effect.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s something about this town. Some enchanted thing that makes you break the rules of business that would apply anywhere else. And somehow it works.”
“Well said.” She finished her wine and set the empty glass on the coffee table. “Danny and I agreed on pretty much everything but having a baby right away. We hardly ever fought, but we did about that. Before the wedding we were in agreement on having kids but never talked about the time frame for doing it.”
“Do you know why he felt that way?”
“He didn’t say, but my theory is that he had a feeling he was going to die.”
“He was in the military and knew he could deploy to a war zone. It makes sense that he would think about the possibility.”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t ever consider that he might not come home to me.” She felt the familiar self-blame welling up inside her. “He really loved kids and wanted to see his child before he had to leave.” There was a catch in her voice and she swallowed. “But he never did.”
“And you feel guilty about it.”
“Of course. Because I was selfish, he never had a chance to see his daughter.”
“So that’s what you’ve been carrying around,” he said.
“Pretty much. How can I not?”
“Maggie...” His tone was scolding and sympathetic at the same time. Sloan set his glass on the table beside hers, then moved close and cupped her face in his hands. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
“I did it to him. Don’t you see?”
“It’s not your fault,” he said gently. “A person can’t really be true to herself if she’s making decisions based on the fact that her partner might not be around tomorrow. Sure, it’s a variable you factor in because of his military service, but you have nothing to feel guilty about. It’s stopping you from being happy.”
“How can I? I’m here and he’s not.”
“By all accounts, your husband was a good guy. He would want you to go on living. Have a full and satisfying life.”
Danny had said as much to her, but she was curious about Sloan’s perspective. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because if I loved someone and couldn’t be there for them, I wouldn’t want that person to be lonely and unhappy. I think Danny would feel the same.”
Having another man’s point of view seemed to validate what her husband had said, and the words struck a chord with her. Either they were exactly the right thing to say, or maybe she was just ready to hear them. Either way, Maggie felt something inside her shift and a great weight lifted from her heart.
“Danny was a good guy,” she said softly.
“Of course he was.” His voice was emphatic. “You wouldn’t have chosen him if he wasn’t.”
“That’s very nice of you to say.” Maggie looked into his eyes and saw something smoldering there, something sizzling and incredibly exciting. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“You have no idea how badly I want to.”
“I’d like that very much.”
“Are you sure?” His gaze searched hers.
“Yes.”
She’d barely spoken when he claimed her mouth. It was like touching a match to dry grass, and heat exploded inside her. He pulled her onto his lap and settled a big hand at her waist. While their mouths teased and taunted, his thumb brushed over her midriff and grazed the underside of her breast. The touch, so tentative and tantalizing, made her want more.
She linked her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest. There was a hitch in his breathing and it grew ragged. He folded her in his strong arms and held her tight. Sliding his fingers into her hair, he gently cupped the back of her head to make the contact of their mouths more firm.
When he traced her bottom lip with his tongue, she opened her mouth, inviting him inside. Without hesitation he entered and explored, caressed and coaxed. She felt there was a very real promise of going up in flames, and was so ready for that to happen.
Sloan pulled back, his mouth an inch from hers. He was breathing hard, but managed to say, “What are the chances of getting an invitation into your bedroom to see if the faucet is okay?”
She knew he was referring to her warning not to expect to be invited. Now he knew it had been an empty threat. “The plumber has been here, so I’m sure it’s fine.”
“It could still be leaking.”
“I’m not worried about it.” Then she grinned. “But if you’d like to come into my bedroom and check out the thread count of my sheets, that would be all right with me.”
“Just all right?” His gaze was hooded, smoky, sexy.
“More than all right—”
“If you’re sure...”
“Absolutely.” She slid off his lap and took his hand in hers. “I really want you to see my bedroom.”
“So this is all about me?”
“Yes.”
He stood and smiled like a man who’d just gotten everything he wanted for Christmas. “That works for me.”
Hand in hand they walked through the house to the double-door entry of her room. She turned on the hall light and glanced at the room across from them, where Danielle was soundly sleeping in her crib.
Maggie opened her bedroom door, revealing the king-size bed with the wedding ring–patterned spread and a lot of pink-and-green throw pil
lows. In the far shadows there was an oak dresser and matching armoire. A glider chair, which she’d almost worn out when her daughter was a newborn, sat in the corner. A right-hand turn led to the master bath with its two sinks.
“Maggie?” There was concern on his face and it was incredibly sweet.
She felt Sloan’s hesitation and looked up. “I’m okay.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Then, while you turn down the bed, I need to go upstairs and get something.”
With that, he turned and hurried back the way he’d come. What in the world? She hadn’t done this for a long time, but it didn’t sound as if he’d changed his mind. Even if he had, the bed still needed to be undressed. As she stowed the throw pillows on the glider chair and rolled the spread to the end of the bed, she thought about that word. Undressed.
The bed wasn’t all that needed undressing. She would have to take off her clothes. And get naked.
Just then a large shape filled the doorway. It was obvious because the light was cut off. “I’m back.”
“Okay.”
Sloan walked to the nightstand and set a small packet there. A condom. Maybe more. But of course. How could she have forgotten? They would need that after getting naked. He no doubt looked like a Greek god. But she... Eek!
“Maggie?” He walked over to her and cupped her face in his hands then tenderly touched his mouth to hers. Pulling away slightly, he said, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She was facing the hall and her features were illuminated, showing him what she knew was probably an anxious expression.
“Don’t do that.” He was in shadow but there was pleading in his tone. “Don’t shut me out. Talk to me.”
“You’ll think I’m crazy. Or worse.”
“There’s something worse?” He tilted up her face and was obviously studying her. “Tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours.”
“It’s silly. Unimportant. It’s—”
He touched a finger to her lips. “I’m not giving up, so you might as well get it over with.”
“Okay. It’s— I—” She sighed and looked away. “It’s been a long time for me. Sex, I mean.”
The Widow's Bachelor Bargain Page 15