Worth the Wait (McKinney/Walker #1)
Page 24
Matt tuned them out as the band played, guitar and violin creating an inviting beat. A silky male voice carried the tune, luring guests to the makeshift dance area.
Jack’s mother had taken the kids down to the patio. Matt sipped his beer and watched. Built like a dancer with small bones and long lines, she moved to the music with the same grace. Not a girl trying to attract attention, but a woman who couldn’t help being sexy.
And she fascinated him.
A sleeveless top revealed slender shoulders and sun kissed skin. Her short white skirt flowed, showing off sexy legs and strappy heels. But it was the way she swayed and spun, cradling the smallest boy to her chest, her cheek laying on his blond head, that held him fixated.
Jack galloped over, waving his arms wildly, and she threw her head back, the sound of her laughter stolen by the wind. He still didn’t know her name. And she was still alone.
The little boy wiggled out of her arms and she took the girls by the hand. They twirled on the ends of her fingers, admiring the way their silky sundresses flared. He imagined dancing with her, as he’d seen his brothers do with their wives. How her small body would feel in his arms, the children laughing and dancing around them.
“What are you staring at?” Kimmi demanded. She sent him a narrow eyed glare and stretched her skinny neck to peer over the balustrade. She shook her head and rolled her eyes when she didn’t see anything of interest.
And she wouldn’t. A mother dancing with her children wouldn’t be of interest to someone like her.
But it was to him.
When the torturous dinner finally ended, the foursome made their way down the wide stone steps, depositing them on the brick patio.
The band played an upbeat country tune and Rob spun Brittney into his arms. Matt wouldn’t cave to Kimmi’s orders to join her on the dance floor. She finally gave up and went off in pursuit of a willing male, leaving him free to sit at the weathered outdoor bar alone.
He nursed his drink and searched the crowd until his eyes locked on their target. She sat at the top of three wide steps, dividing the upper patio from the pool. His chest clenched along with other parts, watching the woman lick the last of her ice cream cone. The bourbon burned his throat as he tossed back the remainder.
Jack finished his ice cream sandwich and moved on to the wrapper, while both girls worked on orange push-ups, his personal favorite. The little one steadied himself with a hand on her shoulder, looking like he’d fallen face first into a puddle of chocolate.
It was a lucky man who had a woman like that, kids like that. His brothers did, but he’d made different choices. Different promises.
She rose from the steps and nodded to Jack, handing her wrapper to the youngest boy. The two of them raced toward the trash bin completely unaware of their collision course with a fast moving country line dance.
In a flash one corner of the dance floor turned into something resembling a freeway pileup. A short plump woman took a two-step and plowed into Jack, who knocked into the toddler, who reached out his chocolate covered fingers to break his fall. And he did. Then slid to the ground, wiping his ice cream smeared face as he went... all the way down Kimmi’s white pants.
Matt was already moving as diva number two twisted to examine the damage. He picked up the little boy, sprawled and whimpering on the brick patio.
If you’d like to read more, you can find WORTH THE FALL on Amazon.
About the Author
Claudia Connor is the author of the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling series, The McKinney Brothers. Her debut novel, WORTH THE FALL, hit the New York Times Bestsellers list in 2014 and received numerous Best Contemporary Romance of 2014 accolades.
Claudia attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. After teaching kindergarten and first grade for ten years, she retired to be a full-time mom to her three daughters. Always a lover of books, and always one to have stories playing in her mind, she decided to try her hand at writing. It took seven years to finish her first novel and a new love was born.
Claudia lives near Memphis, Tennessee with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a singer-songwriter Siberian Husky. She continues to write warm, heartfelt, and emotional romances with a bit of steam, a lot of family and always a happily ever after.
http://claudiaconnor.com/