She blinked and swallowed deeply, not believing she had allowed such thoughts to enter her mind.
“Alli, are you okay?”
She snapped her head around and met Mark’s curious eyes. “Yes, I’m fine.”
It seemed that he focused his gaze on her for the longest time before saying, “Okay, then let me show you the room that you’ll be using.”
Before they walked out the room they passed a framed picture sitting on the dresser. Alli stopped and picked it up. It was a photograph of an attractive couple who were smiling and holding an infant.
“That’s Matt and Candice when Erika was only a few months old,” Mark said softly.
Alli stiffened slightly. She hadn’t been aware that he was standing so close. He was leaning down to peer at the picture and she could feel the moist warmth of his breath against her neck. His closeness was causing a sensation she had never felt before to slowly inch its way up her spine. There was also the heat she felt pooling her belly.
She forced herself to stay focused on the picture, fearful that if she turned her head even the slightest inch, her lips would connect to his. “They were a beautiful family and look happy together,” she finally said, forcing the words out while keenly aware the heat had moved from her stomach, traveling lower down her body.
“Yes, they were happy together and they loved each other very much. I always envied what they had.”
Noting that Mark had taken a step back, Alli turned slightly and met his gaze. He’d sounded so heartrending. She couldn’t help looking deep into his eyes, and then she saw it clearly—pain. He was still hurting. But for whom? His brother and sister-in-law? His wife? For all three?
Her gaze shifted to the rest of his features. They were prominent. Handsome. He had beautiful brown skin, thick eyebrows, a nose that was the perfect shape and size for his face. And then there were his lips…
She couldn’t help but study his lips. They had a seductive shape to them and had such a smooth texture. They looked soft, which seemed odd for such a rough man. A part of her yearned to figure out the contrast for herself. It wouldn’t take much for her to ease her mouth to his, take her tongue and go from corner to corner and lick the—
“Da-da! Down da-da!”
Erika’s words snapped Alli around. She had no idea just how long she had been standing there mesmerized by Mark’s mouth. What had he thought of her staring at him like that? Heat flooded her cheeks and, instead of meeting his gaze, she placed the picture frame on the dresser.
“No, I can’t put you down, sweetheart,” she heard Mark say to the baby. “We still have to show Alli around.”
Feeling more in control, Alli turned but kept her gaze focused on Erika and smiled when the little girl reached for her. She scooped her out of Mark’s arms and planted a kiss on Erika’s cheek, liking the sound of her giggle. “She calls you dad.”
“Yes, but I prefer that she didn’t do that.”
The agitation in his voice made Alli’s head jerk up, not being able to avoid eye contact with him any longer. She saw the deep frown that marred his handsome features. “Why?” she asked.
“Because I’m not her daddy.”
Alli lifted an eyebrow in confusion. “I know you’re not her daddy, Mark, but calling you that is as natural and familiar to her as eating and sleeping. You represent a permanent fixture in her life. She might or might not remember her parents and—”
“I want her to remember them, Alli. That’s the reason I have this picture in here. When she gets older I want her to know about them. I want her to know they were her parents and that I’m her uncle who’s nothing more than her caretaker.”
Alli tried not to glare at him but felt herself doing so anyway. What he’d said sounded too detached and she knew that wasn’t the case. Anyone could see how much he loved and adored his niece. Alison had been in his office when he had received the call regarding his brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths and his being named as Erika’s guardian. That had to have been a tailspin for any carefree bachelor.
She would never forget the day he had flown to California to bring his niece home. And it was obvious he was fiercely protective of Erika, otherwise Alli wouldn’t be here.
Pursing her lips, Alli studied Erika’s features then met Mark’s gaze. “She favors you a lot. You both have identical hazel eyes, the same skin coloring, and her mouth is like yours, just a smaller version. She could be your daughter.”
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocked on his heels. She had worked with him long enough to know the first signs of his anger. “But she’s not. You saw the photograph. Matt and I looked alike but there was a lot about us that was different. We were both Nathaniel Hartman’s sons so there were some things that couldn’t be changed, but Matt inherited a lot of Mama’s ways. Although the old man tried making him hard, Matt had a soft spot. And he always wanted to grow up and have children. I never did.”
Mark’s words surprised Alli. He was sharing more with her now than he had before. “But how could you not want kids? You were married.”
Mark stared at her in silence for a moment, reached out and absently took Erika out of her arms. He moved to put space between them. Moments later he said, “Getting married had nothing to do with it. Patrice knew I never wanted kids, which was fine with her since, because of a medical condition, she couldn’t have them.”
Alli felt her pulse go still and she inhaled a deep breath. It appeared that this was a touchy subject with Mark but she wasn’t ready to put it to rest. She crossed the room to join him and Erika. “Now that Erika has broken you in, what do you think about fatherhood?”
His head shot around and hazel eyes collided with hers. Too late she realized what she’d asked was a mistake. “I’m Erika’s uncle, let’s keep that clear, Alli. Matt entrusted her into my care and I will do the best that I can by her. She will never want for anything. And as far as me ever wanting kids of my own, nothing has changed. I still don’t want any.”
Alli’s chest tightened as he placed Erika in her arms and she watched him walk out of the room.
Three
It was the most stunning room, Alli thought, as she followed Mark into the bedroom that was conveniently located across the hall from Erika’s.
Besides the huge four-poster, cherry-oak bed that sat between two huge windows, the other furnishings included double nightstands, a mirror dresser, a chest and an accent bench. All in all the elegant-looking accessories, from the floral bedspread and matching window treatments to the massive brick fireplace, and she felt it was a room fit for a queen. What was even nicer was the fact that she had her own bath, a rather nice modern one that had a separate shower and a bathtub. It was apparent some renovations been done since the original house had been built.
“I hope you like this room.”
She swung around and the swift movement made Erika happily squeal loudly. “Oh, Mark, it’s perfect. Did you hire a professional decorator to do this room as well?”
He nodded. “Yes, when I moved back I found the place needed a lot of repairs.” He took Erika out of Alli’s arms and continued saying, “After the repairs were taken care of I started doing renovations. I wanted to give the place a whole new look and I didn’t want anything here to remind me of before.”
A part of Alli wanted to reach out and throw her arms around him. She regretted he did not have memories of a happy childhood. Although her father had deserted them and her mother had eventually worked herself into an early grave, Mildred Lind had done the best she could to make sure her daughters had childhoods filled with many fond memories. There hadn’t been a lot of money to spend but there had been a lot of love to go around. Too bad Mark had missed out on that.
“I’d better get your things out the car,” Mark said, handing Erika back to her.
Alli chuckled as she held Erika against her shoulder. Mark lifted an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
“Have you noticed what we’v
e been doing? I bet Erika has never been passed back and forth before between two people so much in her life.”
A smile touched the corners of Mark’s lips. “You’re probably right. I hadn’t noticed.”
Alli smiled at Erika before dropping a kiss on her cheek. “But you noticed didn’t you, sweetheart, and you enjoyed every minute of going from arm to arm, right?”
“That’s something else she isn’t used to.”
Alli switched her gaze to Mark. “What?”
“Being kissed. You’ve done it three times since you’ve been here.”
Forcing her gaze back to Erika, Alli asked, “You’re counting?”
He shrugged. “I can’t help but notice. I didn’t know you were such an affectionate person.”
There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mark Hartman. She looked at him, wanting to tell him that she had more than enough affection to share if he was interested, but she knew that saying that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Well, when it comes to babies, I’m as affectionate as anyone can get.”
“You want children one day?”
She grinned. “You would have done better just asking me how many.”
After studying her thoughtfully for a brief moment, he said, “Okay, how many?”
“A houseful. I’ll even make room in the barn if I have to.”
Evidently the image of that played out in Mark’s mind and he chuckled. “I hope your husband will be able to afford all your kids.”
“I hope so, too.” Automatically and without thought, she kissed Erika’s cheek again, making the baby giggle with pleasure.
When Alli glanced up she saw that Mark’s gaze was focused on her lips while he absently wet his own with his tongue. She became aware of the tension that suddenly filled the room and the pulsing heat that was forming between them. As if his lips were dry, he licked them again and at that moment she was dying to know how his kisses tasted.
Alli was mortified that such thoughts had entered her mind and knew she should dismiss them, but she couldn’t. Even if she were to kiss him until the cows came home, he would never be out of her system…or out of her heart. He was still staring at her mouth the way she was staring at his. The beatings of their hearts could be heard as a throbbing tempo in the room and even Erika’s babbling couldn’t drown it out.
Heat flowed all through her when she could see the guarded expression that he always wore was gone and he was staring at her as if he finally was seeing her as a woman. At that very moment, whether it was his intent or not, he made her feel desired. She wanted more than anything to curl up in his arms while he kissed her in all the ways she had dreamed about.
Her breath caught in her throat when he took a step closer, leaned forward and came within inches of capturing her mouth in his.
“Da-da. Play.”
As if snapping out of a daze, Mark straightened, took a quick step back and ran a hand down his face. “I better get your things out the car,” he said, turning quickly.
Emotions tightened Alli’s throat. He had almost kissed her. After two years, he had shown some sign that he was attracted to her.
“You do remember about my Cattleman’s Club meeting tonight, right?”
His question jarred her from her thoughts. “Yes, I remember.”
“And don’t worry about dinner. Mrs. Sanders was here yesterday and prepared enough dinner for today as well.”
“Mrs. Sanders?”
“She’s my housekeeper and cook, and she usually comes a couple of times a week.”
Evidently seeing the question in her eyes, he went on to say, “She cooks and cleans but is quick to inform you that she doesn’t do babies. She’s fifty-seven, has five kids of her own and doesn’t relish the thought of taking care of another child. She’s one of those grandmothers whose kids can’t just drop the grandkids off and keep going. Her philosophy is, and I quote, ‘I raised mine, now you raise yours.’”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Alli said as she continued to stare at Mark. She thought it was a darn shame for any man to look that good. He took her breath away. She needed him to leave so she could breathe normally again.
He smiled warmly. “And I have a feeling that she’s looking forward to meeting you as well.”
And then he was gone.
“I hear you’ve solved your babysitting problems, Mark,” Logan Voss said as the two of them entered the bar of the Texas Cattleman’s Club and proceeded to the private meeting room.
Out of habit, Mark’s gaze went to the Leadership, Justice and Peace motto on a far wall before meeting his friend’s eyes. “Then I’m also sure you’ve heard that Alli is Erika’s nanny.”
Logan chuckled. “Yes, I did hear that.”
“What did you hear?” Jake Thorne asked curiously as he greeted the two men and watched them settle into the leather chairs.
“That Alli is Erika’s nanny,” Logan responded.
Jake smiled. “Yes, and knowing what a responsible person Alli is, we can safely say that Erika will be in good hands.”
Mark nodded. At the moment, he would have given anything to know just how good those hands were; just as he would have loved sampling that mouth of Alli’s. Luckily for him, when he had returned to the room with her things, she hadn’t been there. She had placed Erika in her stroller and had taken her outside for a walk. He was grateful for that time alone to pull himself together. Never in his life had he wanted to kiss a woman so badly.
He had spent a long time in the shower berating himself for his weakness of coming within inches of kissing Alli. By the time he had gotten dressed for the meeting, he had decided that hell, he was only human, and any man would have wanted to kiss her given the way her lips were made, not to mention how alluring her perfume was. The total package would have any man interested and he was definitely a man.
Damn, he had to stop thinking about her. Thoughts of her had consumed him on the drive to this meeting and they were consuming him now. He hoped like hell that she’d be asleep when he returned home. But just in case, it might be a good idea if he didn’t return to the ranch immediately after the meeting. Maybe he could interest a couple of the guys in a game of poker.
He glanced around. He knew Thomas Devlin and Gavin O’Neal were standing outside talking. But where the hell was Connor Thorne? He was the one who had ribbed Mark the most whenever he had shown up late due to babysitting issues. Mark wondered if Connor also had heard that his problem was solved.
Mark glanced over at Jake. “Where’s Connor?”
Jake smiled lazily, his blue eyes shining brightly. “I am my brother’s brother, but I am not my brother’s keeper,” he replied jokingly. He then glanced at his watch. “We have seven minutes to go. He’ll be here.”
Mark nodded and then asked, “How’s the campaign going?” Jake’s opponent in the mayoral race was Gretchen Halifax. In her mid-thirties, Gretchen was intelligent, sophisticated and had a large circle of influence in town. But what she didn’t have was a clue about what Royal needed. If Gretchen became mayor, there was no doubt in Mark’s mind that, with her proposed tax plan, the town would lose businesses to other areas.
“I’m playing by the rules and sticking to the campaign issues,” Jake said. “But it seems Gretchen doesn’t want to play fair.”
Logan, who had stood to remove his jacket, sat and chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”
The three men glanced up when Connor Thorne, Tom Devlin and Gavin O’Neal walked in. They could tell by the look on Gavin’s face that the news he had to share wouldn’t be good. As a relatively new sheriff, he had his hands full trying to figure out a murder as well as a number of suspicious happenings around town.
“We might as well get started,” Gavin said, dropping into one of the leather chairs. Connor and Tom, who had recently joined the club, did likewise.
When Gavin was certain he had everyone’s attention, he continued to speak. “We still don’t have a
clue who fired that shot at Melissa Mason,” he said to everyone, although the guys knew he was really answering the question Logan hadn’t asked yet. Melissa was Logan’s fiancée and the attempt on her life had riled him to say the least.
“So we’re still operating on the theory that since Melissa was driving one of Logan’s vehicles, the sniper thought it was Logan and was trying to dissuade him from going to see Lucas Devlin?” Connor asked, leaning forward.
“Yes. In my opinion someone is trying like hell to keep the Devlin and Windcroft feud going,” Gavin said somberly.
“Hmm, but who would benefit from such a thing and how does it all tie in to Jonathan’s murder?” Jake asked, as if thinking out loud.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Gavin said, sighing deeply. He glanced over at Mark. “I need you to go talk to Nita Windcroft to see whether her allegations are founded or she’s blowing things out of proportion to stir up trouble. I’m fairly new to the area but what I’m hearing is that she’s pretty damn headstrong and if she thinks we’re not taking her seriously, she might take matters into her own hands. Heaven help us all if she does that. My deputies claim she has one hell of a temper and is as stubborn as they come.”
Mark nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to Nita.”
Gavin then glanced over at Jake and smiled. “I thought I’d better give you a heads-up. Rumor has it around town that Gretchen is trying like hell to tie you to the vandalism of the Halifax Exhibit. She claims you’re running a negative campaign and that’s one example of your unsavory tactics.”
Jake shook his head and chuckled. “Thanks for letting me know but if anyone is using unsavory tactics, it’s Gretchen. But she’ll eventually hang herself since the people who know me won’t believe a word of it.”
“What about the woman captured on tape stealing the map? Any new leads?” Tom Devlin decided to ask, his silver-gray eyes alert. Since he was relatively new to town, he was quickly finding out about the feud that involved the family he only recently had discovered he had.
Strictly Confidential Attraction Page 3