by Elle James
“I suppose the man with the dog could be one of the pipeline workers. I won’t worry about him.” Mrs. Turner smiled at Kate and Chuck. “We look out for each other here. Being on the edge of town, no one would think much of us. JoJo Earles was the previous owner of the cottage you’re living in. She was a lovely woman and a good friend. We miss her dearly, don’t we?” Mrs. Turner’s gaze swept over her older friends, who nodded their agreement.
“Did she pass away?” Kate asked.
Mrs. Turner laughed. “Oh, dear. No, she didn’t. Her children moved her to Florida. They were afraid she’d slip on the ice in the wintertime and no one would find her until she’d frozen to death.”
Kate’s eyes rounded. “That would be awful.”
Mrs. Turner nodded. “That’s why we look out for each other.”
“Now that JoJo’s gone, will you be moving south to live with your daughter in Alabama?” Wanda asked.
“No way,” Mrs. Turner shook her head. “I like my independence. I don’t plan on losing that until I can’t take care of myself.”
“Well, I must say I feel a lot better now that you have good neighbors living next door,” Hugh said. “Someone looking out for you.”
Kate cast a glance toward Chuck, her jaw tight, her eyes sad.
“We’ll do what we can,” Chuck said. “After all, what are neighbors for?” He nearly choked on the words he figured they would expect out of him. What he didn’t add was the disclaimer of while we’re here.
The dinner was tasty, the company warm and inviting. But by the time it was over, Chuck was ready to leave and so was Lyla.
“I’m sleepy.” She yawned and stretched. “Can we go home now?”
Kate gave Mrs. Turner an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. She’s had a big day with us moving in.”
“Oh, please. Don’t you worry about it. I had three children of my own. You’re on their schedule while they’re little.”
Wanda chuckled. “And well into their twenties.”
“So true,” Hugh agreed.
Greta sighed. “I miss my boys.”
“I’ll be glad when they return to the states,” Hugh said. “We’ll meet them in Virginia when they come home.”
“Where are they?” Chuck asked.
“They’re in the Navy. They’re deployed now to the Horn of Africa.”
Chuck perked up. “I’d love to hear more, but we need to get Lyla to bed. Perhaps next time?”
“Oh, you won’t get Hugh to quit talking about David and Michael,” Greta said. “He’s so proud of their accomplishments. They’re Navy SEALs.”
Chuck’s chest swelled, but he didn’t tell them that he had once been a Navy SEAL on active duty. They didn’t need to know that. No one needed to know. As far as he was concerned, he was Kate’s husband and Lyla’s father. The less Lyla’s attackers knew, the better. And the only way to keep that information from them was to keep as much to himself as possible.
He lifted Lyla into his arms and carried her toward the door.
Kate caught up and slipped her arm through his empty one. They walked away from Mrs. Turner’s little white, clapboard house and into their yellow cottage, a family for all to see.
Once inside the house, Kate took Lyla and carried her into the bedroom with the twin bed and helped her change into her pajamas.
Chuck went around the house one more time, checking all the windows and doors. He regretted that there were so many windows. If someone wanted in badly enough, all he had to do was break one window.
Chuck could hear Kate’s voice as she read a story from one of the books Sadie had packed in a box.
He stood outside Lyla’s room, listening to the clear, sweet sound of her voice and wishing she was talking to him in the shadows as they lay in bed. He would hold her in his arms, close his eyes and just bask in the smooth silkiness of her tone.
Kate tiptoed backward out of Lyla’s room, pulling the door halfway closed. When she turned toward Chuck, she started, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh. I didn’t see you there.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
Her hand dropped to her chest. “No. I’m okay.” She looked back through the door. “Poor thing was so tired, she didn’t make it through the entire book.”
“She’s had a tough twenty-four hours. A lot of changes.”
Kate nodded, her gaze rising to Chuck’s. “She’s holding it together much better than I am.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I wish I knew my sister was safe.”
Without letting himself think, Chuck pulled her into his arms and held her.
Kate laid her cheek against his chest and let the tears fall. “I should be braver,” she said and sniffed. “Lyla needs me to be strong.”
“You don’t have to be strong all the time,” he said, stroking his hand over her soft hair. “That’s why you have me.”
“Thank you for being here,” she said, her fingers curling into his shirt. “I don’t think I could do this without your help.”
“It’s what I do. It’s my job,” he said, as much to reassure her as to remind himself he could not fall for this woman. She was a client. Nothing more.
Then why was his heart beating so fast? And why was he still holding her in his arms?
Chapter 7
Kate would have stayed in Chuck’s arms for as long as he would let her, but Lyla made a noise that brought her back to reality.
“I’d better check on her,” Kate said and slipped from Chuck’s arms. Back in Lyla’s room, Kate called herself all kinds of a fool for taking advantage of Chuck. The man was only holding her to make her feel safer. He wasn’t making any other kind of move on her, nor did she expect him to.
He was a man of honor and wouldn’t take advantage of the situation to slake his own desires.
Heat coiled low in her belly. Oh, but she wished he would take advantage of her. Her desire was strong and getting stronger.
Lyla twisted in the sheets, trying to kick them off.
When Kate pulled the blankets back up over her, the little girl squirmed and moaned.
Was she having a nightmare?
In the faint glow spilling in through the half-opened door, Lyla’s cheeks glowed a ruddy red.
Kate touched her forehead and felt the heat. Lyla was burning up.
“Chuck,” she called out.
He was there in a heartbeat, looking over her shoulder at the small child lying against the white sheets, her face coated in a sheen of sweat.
“She’s feverish,” Kate said. “What do we do?”
He touched his palm to her forehead, his eyebrows drawing together. “A cool compress will help.” Without another word, he hurried to the bathroom across the hall and returned a minute later with a cool, damp washcloth.
Gently, he laid the cloth across Lyla’s forehead.
“Was there a thermometer in any of those boxes Sadie sent?” Chuck asked.
“I don’t know,” Kate said, her gaze on Lyla. “Wait. She sent a first aid kit. Maybe there’s one in it.” Kate rose from beside the bed and ran into the kitchen. Where had she put that little, red box? She’d been so caught up in watching Chuck fix the doors and windows earlier that day, she hadn’t paid much attention to where she was putting things.
After searching three kitchen drawers, she finally found the first aid kit in a deep drawer next to the sink. Inside the kit was a thermometer. She grabbed it and ran back into Lyla’s room.
“Here it is.” She held it out to Chuck, who took it and rolled Lyla onto her back.
“How are you going to get her to hold it under her tongue?” Kate asked.
Chuck shook his head. “I’m not.”
He pulled Lyla’s pajama top up and placed the thermometer under her arm. He waited a solid minute before he removed the thermometer and pulled Lyla’s shirt back in place before staring down at the number in the display.
“One hundred degrees,” Chuck said. “It’s not good, but it could be worse.”
; “What should we do?” Kate asked. “I don’t recall seeing a hospital in town.”
“There isn’t one,” Chuck confirmed.
Kate paced the length of the room, her head down, her lips pressed tight. She stopped in front of Chuck. “Do we need to take her to the ER in Bozeman?”
“I think we need to see where it goes. If she gets worse, then yes, we take her to another town where they have an emergency room.” Chuck lifted the damp cloth, fanned it to cool it off, and then laid it back on Lyla’s forehead. “In the meantime, I’ll stay up with her. You should get some sleep. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You need to be physically prepared for anything.”
When Kate didn’t move, Chuck gripped her arms. “Go to bed.”
“But I can’t leave Lyla while she’s sick.” Kate shook loose of Chuck’s grip and slipped around him to enter Lyla’s room.
Her niece lay like a miniature ghost, her face red and her entire body flushed with heat.
“Will she be okay?” Kate’s words caught in her throat on a sob. The one job she had to do was to keep Lyla safe. How could she keep her safe if she was so sick?
“We should take her to the hospital in Bozeman,” Kate insisted.
“The doctors don’t start worrying until a child’s temperature spikes to over one hundred and three. Lyla’s not there yet.”
“But should we wait that long?” Kate smoothed her hand over Lyla’s angel-soft hair. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to my niece. Rachel trusted me to do the right thing.” Kate snorted. “She should have known I don’t have a clue about what the right thing is regarding small children.”
“Like I said, the doctors aren’t much concerned until the fever spikes to over one hundred and three.”
“Then I’m staying with her all night.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll stay with her,” Chuck said. “I consider it my duty and responsibility.”
“As her aunt, it’s my duty and responsibility,” Kate insisted, lifting her chin. “I should be with her.”
“Rather than argue over a sick little girl, how about we take turns?” He raised his brow. “I’ll take the first shift until one in the morning.”
“And you’ll wake me when it’s my turn?” She stared at him through narrowed eyes. “You won’t try to be all tough-guy on me, will you?”
“What do you mean?”
She lifted her chin. “You won’t just say you’ll wake me but actually leave me to sleep all night?”
Chuck laughed and raised his hand. “Scout’s honor,” he said.
Kate’s frown deepened. “Something tells me you were never a scout.”
“You have my word,” Chuck said. “I’ll wake you.”
“Okay, then.” She leaned over Lyla and kissed her forehead. “I hope you feel better soon, sweetie. I love you.” Then she straightened and pointed a finger at Chuck’s chest. “Wake me for anything.”
Chuck smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
If Lyla wasn’t feverish and Kate wasn’t worried, she might have melted into the floor. Chuck had charm all wrapped up in that smile.
Kate glanced once more at Lyla, reluctant to leave the child’s room. Could a three-year-old die from a fever? Her heart squeezed hard in her chest. Rachel would be devastated. Hell, Kate would be devastated. Lyla was growing on her, as well as the idea of having a child in her life. Her career seemed so secondary to the responsibility of a little girl’s life.
Kate hurried to the bedroom, changed into her nightgown and lay down on the bed. For the next thirty minutes, she stared at the ceiling, imagining every scenario that could happen. The more she lay there, the more worried she became. Sounds made her jump, thinking it might be Lyla calling for her or Chuck asking for help.
When she couldn’t take another minute, she grabbed the comforter from the bed and padded barefooted down the hall and peeked in on Lyla.
Chuck had moved a rocking chair into the room and set it beside Lyla’s bed. He sat still and held Lyla’s hand with one of his and brushed the hair from her fevered brow with the other.
Not wanting to disturb them, Kate quietly laid the comforter on the floor and curled up inside it. If she was needed, she’d be there. If anything changed, she’d know immediately.
Exhausted from her mad escape from LA and her subsequent journey to Montana, Kate fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, her sleep became troubled with dreams about men in black ski masks, breaking into the little cottage to steal Lyla away.
She tried to tell them Lyla was sick. If they took her she could die. But they didn’t care. They grabbed Lyla from her bed and ran.
Kate cried out, horrified and heartbroken, but unable to go after them. Her feet felt mired in quicksand. When she looked down, she couldn’t see her shoes. They had sunk into the floor of her executive office, and she was being sucked into the carpet, inch by inch. “Lyla!” she called out.
Lyla couldn’t help her. She was only a small child.
“Chuck!” she called out, her cries turning to sobs.
Warm arms wrapped around her and held her against a solid wall of muscles.
“Shh, darlin’,” a deep, resonant voice whispered in her ear. “Everything is going to be all right.”
“But Lyla…” she said without opening her eyes.
“Is asleep in her bed. The fever broke, and she’s sleeping soundly.”
Kate pressed her face into her rescuer’s chest and let the tears flow until there were none left to fall.
Warm lips pressed against her forehead. “You’re going to be okay,” he promised.
“How do you know?” she whispered, unwilling to wake up from the dream. The arms around her felt so real and comforting. She wanted to stay there forever.
“I know, because I’ll make it happen. Lyla’s going to be fine. Just sleep.”
“Mmm.” She rested her hand on his chest and curled her fingers into his shirt.
Strong arms lifted her from the floor, comforter and all.
At that point, Kate realized she was no longer sleeping and Chuck was her rescuer. Still, she refused to open her eyes, preferring to bask in the reality of being in his arms.
When he laid Kate on her bed and started to straighten, she finally opened her eyes and stared up into his. “Are you sure Lyla’s okay?”
He nodded and swept the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Her temperature is back to normal. She’s sleeping peacefully.”
Then he did something she never expected.
He bent and brushed his lips across hers.
Kate froze, her eyes widening.
“Sorry,” he said. “I just can’t…” And he kissed her again.
Kate raised her hand to his chest. Not to push him away, but to clutch his shirt and bring him back to her mouth. She tipped her head and kissed him back.
He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and held her to him as his lips pressed against hers and his tongue traced the seam of her mouth.
She opened on an exhilarated gasp, allowing him to sweep in and own her tongue.
He caressed, teased and stroked her, tasting of mint and the tea he’d had at dinner.
Kate couldn’t get enough of him. She clung to Chuck, holding him close, reluctant to let go.
And he seemed in no hurry to release her.
He sat on the edge of the bed and gathered her closer, pulling her across his lap, deepening the kiss. His hands slipped down her back and up her sides, his thumbs brushing below her breasts.
A moan rose up her throat and escaped. God, she wanted more from this man than just a kiss.
When he at last raised his head, she stared up at him in wonder. What had just happened seemed almost a part of a dream. Not the nightmare he’d rescued her from, but a sweet, lusty dream she wanted to go back to.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
“No, we shouldn’t have.” But she was glad they had. And she wa
nted to kiss him all over again. Her body physically ached for him.
Chuck straightened. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“You don’t have to, you know.” Kate wished he would take her up on her hint and stay with her in the bed.
He stood tall and straight, his jaw tight, his hands curled into fists as if he struggled with something difficult. “You tempt me,” he said, his voice deep and sexy. “But I can’t.” He shook his head and performed an about-face. “I’ll check on Lyla on my way to the couch.”
“Chuck?”
He turned back.
“I know we shouldn’t have…but I’m glad we did.”
Chuck stared at Kate for a moment longer, drinking in her beauty and the swell of her very-kissed lips. Then he turned and walked away.
A thousand thoughts rippled through his mind at once. Images of his wife the last time he saw her flashed through his memory. She’d stood with Sarah, seeing him off as he boarded the bus that would take his team to catch the plane to Afghanistan.
She’d smiled, though her eyes shone with unshed tears.
Sarah had waved goodbye, and then held up her arms for Anne to carry her.
As the bus pulled away, Chuck watched them as long as he could, knowing it would be months before he saw them again. He hadn’t dreamed it would be the last time he saw his wife and child.
Now, after kissing Kate, he could see the potential for pain and heartache happening again. Kate and Lyla reminded him so much of Anne and Sarah, in appearances anyway.
Anne had been a stay-at-home wife and mother to their child. She’d been content to manage the household and greet him with open arms and a hearty meal when he came home.
Anne had no ambition for working outside the home. Chuck had worried she would be lonely with him gone most of the time. And she had been. Her world revolved around him. Each time he left on a mission, she would be sad and depressed. He’d tried to get her to join the military wives club, but she preferred staying home. Knowing she was unhappy made it hard for Chuck to focus on his work.
Kate, on the other hand, was a woman who had a successful career, no children, no marriages. She took charge and could stand on her own.