Matters of the Heart

by Vanessa Devereaux

  It was the first time in his life he’d found himself in this predicament. Highly attracted to a woman, his body more than ready to get her between the sheets, but unable to act upon his urge.

  She turned around and jumped when she saw him, putting her hand on her chest.

  “Geez, I didn’t hear you come into the kitchen,” she said.

  “Sorry. I should have said something.”

  But I was being naughty and admiring the great view.

  “Hope you don’t mind me getting something to drink while I’m down here waiting for Presley’s milk to warm.”

  “Absolutely not. Like I said treat this as your home.”

  He made a face as his daughter sat patiently in her carrier that Lucy had placed on the countertop. She eyed Lucy as if she knew food was on its way.

  “Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain. You want me to take a look at something for you?” she asked him.

  That was the last straw. The thought of her checking out his dick and balls sent him over the edge.

  “No, no, I just stubbed my toe on the way into the kitchen, that’s all.”

  He knew he should just turn around and go back to his room, but he couldn’t move until his erection subsided.

  Think of something boring, bland and…

  “Looks like it’s still snowing,” he said. He took a deep breath, watching her as she lifted Presley out of the carrier, sat with her on her lap, and offered her the bottle. It was a picture perfect image. She looked so natural and at ease holding a baby.

  “You don’t have to get up for middle of the night feedings, that’s what you’re paying me for.” She glanced over at him.

  “I was awake anyway, but I think I will head upstairs and try to get back to sleep.”

  “Okay, goodnight.”

  “Night, and night Presley, sweet dreams.”

  He turned, walking like he had a limp, and dragged himself up the stairs. He got back to his room, took off his sweats and slipped under the covers. He heard Lucy’s footsteps going by his door and then noticed the light in the hallway that shone under his door, disappear. Five minutes later, he heard her door closing. The head of her bed sat on the other side of his bedroom wall. Just seven feet, plus a couple of feet of drywall separated them.

  Brad closed his eyes hoping that would help, but all he saw was Lucy in the t-shirt, standing holding his daughter. Lucy in the kitchen bending over. If it wasn’t that he’d wake Presley, and probably Lucy too, he’d head to the bathroom and take a nice long cold shower to help cool his libido.

  He even thought about jerking off, but put the idea quickly out of his mind. He turned onto his side. He hadn’t had sex since the last time he’d been with Nevie. Most likely the night Presley was conceived. He hadn’t thought about dating anyone since. Making love had been the last thing on his mind since he’d been lured into a nothing but sex and only sex, relationship with Nevie. Yeah, that should have been proof in itself it wasn’t going to last.

  She’d waltzed into the bar where he went drinking after work. A model from LA, gorgeous, blond, long-legged, and he’d caught her staring at him and asked her to dance. She told him she could learn to love a quaint little place like Pine Ridge and they’d gone back to his place and fucked non-stop.

  Truth was she was a big city girl, ambitious and this hick, as she’d ended up calling him, wasn’t what she wanted.

  The whole damn thing had put him off women, relationships, and fucking.

  However, a man could only go so long without thinking about sex. It was one of the laws of the universe.

  He turned over on to his back.

  No, that wasn’t the reason. He wasn’t thinking about sex in general, he was thinking about having sex with Lucy.

  Chapter Five

  Lucy remembered what Brad had told her about needing to be the first one to use the bathroom each morning. She heard him walking about in the hallway and didn’t want to risk running into him in those shorts again so she stayed safely in her room.

  Not that she hadn’t admired the wonderful view last night. She’d done that and a whole lot more. But then she’d felt embarrassed when she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off his crotch and his obvious erection. She’d even gotten a slight peek at his dick, too, which she knew had made her blush big time. She sat on the bed and put her face in her hands, reliving the uncomfortable feeling all over again. She hadn’t known what to say or what to do, but luckily Presley had needed feeding so she’d been able to take refuge down in the kitchen.

  It wasn’t that she found his shorts or erection inappropriate, but she’d wanted him so badly that it had sent her hormones into overdrive. Her breasts had ached, their nipples had gone on high alert, and the stirring in her pussy had been like nothing she’d ever experienced before. By the time she’d gotten back to her room, she’d had to go in search of a dry pair of panties. And once she’d gotten into bed, she’d just laid looking up at the ceiling, wondering what it would be like to have Brad make love to her, maybe in the very bed in which she slept.

  Lucy had worked herself up so much that she’d even contemplated dragging out her vibrator. The only thing that had stopped her was realizing that its humming noise would probably travel through her bedroom wall and wake Brad up. He would have guessed what it was, and what she was doing which would have led to yet more embarrassment.

  She heard the bathroom door opening and knew it was safe to go and get Presley and head downstairs. When she reached the kitchen, Brad was already dressed in his sheriff’s outfit and making coffee. His hair was still a little damp and brushed back. He was freshly shaven and she detected a whiff of woodsy aftershave which stirred up her libido again.

  “Good morning. Did you sleep well after you went back to bed?” he asked.

  “Yes, I fell asleep straight away.”

  I wish.

  “Glad to hear that. Remember if you want a TV in your room just holler.”

  “No, that’s fine, really but if the offer’s still open, can I watch the one in the living room?”

  No, maybe she should stay in her room but it was too late, she’d already asked.

  “Sure, do whatever you please. In fact, there’s a nature show on about lions of the Serengeti later this week if you want to watch it with me after Presley goes to bed.”

  That sounded pretty harmless. Nothing sexy about that.

  “Sounds great,” she said.

  The phone rang just as Brad had finished filling the coffee maker.

  “Hello, Sheriff Ryan speaking.”

  He paused and Lucy could hear a woman’s voice on the other end.

  “Hi, Ms. Sutton. Yes, she’s settled in just fine. Yes, she’s right here.”

  He offered her the phone. “It’s Ms. Sutton for you.”

  Lucy raised her eyebrows and took it from him. Maybe she’d found her a match. “Hi, Ms. Sutton.”

  “Will you please call me Sadie?”

  “Sure, Sadie, it is.”

  “I’m heading back to Helena today so I wondered if you and Presley would like to meet me for lunch before I leave?”

  “That’s sound like something we’d both love.”

  “Okay, how about Stacey’s Café on

  Main Street

  at noon?”

  “We’ll be there.”

  “Okay, see you then. Bye.”

  Lucy handed the phone back to Brad. “Presley and I have a lunch date with Sadie Sutton at Stacey’s Café.”

  “Well, well, a girls-only get together. What do you think about that Presley?”

  The baby kicked her legs and sucked her fist again.

  “Gives her the perfect opportunity to wear one of her new outfits,” said Lucy.

  ****

  Brad leaned back in his office chair. It had been a slow morning. Apart from a local rancher being warned about a broken tail light on his truck, nothing really significant had happened in the world of law enforcement. Although he didn’t want
a crime spree in Pine Ridge, he wished something work related would keep his mind occupied. Since he’d driven away from the house that morning all he’d thought about was Lucy.

  He’d been foolish enough to point out the Nature special on TV, and that maybe she’d like to watch it with him. Not that he couldn’t handle it, he could. They wouldn’t sit on the couch together. He’d make sure he sat in the armchair, a few feet from the other chairs, and in no way would their legs and arms touch.

  Legs and arms.

  Hers were beautiful and he longed to touch them. Her skin made him think about the porcelain vase his grandmother had once owned. Both wonderful works of art.

  Glancing at the photo he’d taken of Presley and put in a frame on his desk, it reminded him of the reason, and the only reason, that Lucy was in his life. She was a lifeline. The young woman who took care of his little girl so he could continue to be sheriff and keep law and order. If he kept that in focus, everything would be okay and his life would continue as normal.

  ****

  Sadie smiled when she saw Lucy struggling through the door with the baby carrier. She looked so cute and just like a real mom. Lucy stood by the register looking a little lost so Sadie stood and waved to her.

  “This baby is so adorable,” she said as Lucy put the carrier on the table, took off her coat and mittens, and then slid into the chair opposite Sadie. “And look at this cute dress and these leggings.”

  “Her daddy bought them for her,” said Lucy, tickling Presley’s tummy until she giggled. “Thank you for inviting us today.”

  “Well, I thought we should get together before I drove back to Helena. I wanted to see how you’re settling in with the sheriff. I mean at his house.”

  “Fine, he’s very nice. He’s already made me feel at home. It should really be me buying you lunch for finding the job with him.”

  “I’m just glad I could be of help. Now about finding you someone through Perfect Pairing…”

  Sadie didn’t have anyone in mind. In her heart she knew she’d already found the ideal mate for Lucy, but the young woman had to find that out for herself, for the whole match matching thing to work. Right now Sadie just wanted to gauge Lucy’s feelings about Brad and to see if her instincts, once again, had been correct.

  “Do you think we could that put that hold? I mean so I can settle into this job before I think about dating.”

  Sadie smiled. Oh yes, she’s already got some feelings for him.

  “Of course, and whenever you’re ready just give me a call and I’ll put the wheels in motion.”

  Now all the sheriff and Lucy needed was a little coaxing. Sadie ran her hand over her purse, making two tickets appear in one of the zippered pockets.

  “Before I forget, my friend in town has two tickets to see a show at the playhouse, but unfortunately she’s going out of town and I’m not a fan of plays so I thought you might like them.”

  Sadie pulled them out and slid them across the table to Lucy.

  “Thank you, but I don’t know anyone here who I can invite to go with me.”

  “Of course you do, the sheriff.”

  “But…”

  Sadie wagged her finger. “You’ll both need a break from being around this cute baby. And why don’t I come and babysit for the night while the two of you enjoy the show?”

  Lucy was about to say something but Sadie raised her hand.

  If she knew mortals as well as she thought she did, the protest was down to her feeling something for the handsome lawman. Sometimes the universe didn’t even need help from a witch but it sure was fun doing a little meddling.

  “Now let’s see what’s for lunch, shall we?” asked Sadie, opening the menu.

  ****

  Lucy put down her book and turned her head to listen to the sound of the vehicle approaching the house. She was already able to recognize the sound of Brad’s sheriff’s truck pulling into the driveway. Next she heard the garage door opening. She stood and walked through the hallway to the kitchen where within minutes he was tapping the snow off his boots on the mat by the garage entry door. He took off his gloves and rubbed his hands together.

  “I think the temperature’s dropped since I left the office,” he said.

  “At least it stopped snowing,” said Lucy.

  “How’s Presley been today?”

  “Like an angel. No trouble at all.”

  Lucy smiled as Brad went over to where Presley sat in the playpen he’d brought for her the night before, and lifted her out. He planted a kiss on her forehead and then she grabbed some of his hair and tugged at it.

  “Hey, hey, that hurts Daddy,” he said taking her hand away from his head. “Something smells really good in here.”

  “I made some chili this afternoon. It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

  “In that case let’s sit down and eat because I’m starving.”

  He pulled out a chair, sat, and then placed Presley on his knee. “How was your lunch with Sadie Sutton?”

  “We had wonderful time. She’s a fun lady. Oh, and she gave me two tickets to see a show at the playhouse. I told her I didn’t know anyone in town but she thought you might like to go along too. She even offered to babysit Presley.”

  At first he didn’t say anything so Lucy wondered if she’d overstepped the line. Would he consider it a date? Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut and gone on her own or not at all.

  “That was very kind of her and yes, a night out would probably be a welcome break for both of us.”

  Lucy released the breath she’d been holding in since she’d first asked him. That was out of the way.

  She served up two bowls of the chili and placed them on the table.

  He ate with one hand, while continuing to hold Presley, who was now fingering the placement in front of him.

  “Wow, this is pretty good,” he said.

  “Glad you like it.”

  “Is your grandmother still alive?”

  “Yes, she lives in Kalispell. She moved back there when my grandfather passed away ten years ago. How about you? Are your parents and grandparents still alive?”

  “Nope, they’re all gone, I’m sorry to say.”

  “Is that a photo of your mother on the wall in the living room?”

  Brad nodded.

  “I guessed it was. Presley has the same shape face and eyes. You too.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought the first time I saw my daughter.”

  “It must have been a shock to you. I mean finding out you had a child.”

  Maybe she was overstepping the line here, entering territory that wasn’t any of her business.

  “It was, especially when I didn’t even know my ex-girlfriend was pregnant.”

  Lucy sat back on the chair, suddenly intrigued to know what Presley’s mom looked like, and what had attracted Brad to her. Something else that’s none of my business.

  She fingered the stitching on the napkin just as Brad’s phone rang.

  “Here, let me take Presley for you and I’ll go and give her a bath before she goes to bed.”

  ****

  Brad rinsed the chili from the bowls and placed them in the top rack of the dishwasher. Lucy was a great cook. Well, he hadn’t tried any of her other meals, but she was a five star chef with chili. All he needed now was a nice cold beer. He took one from the fridge, popped open the top, and took a sip.

  Presley was probably almost ready for bed and he’d go up there and kiss her goodnight. When she was a little older he’d start a tradition of reading to her. Even though his mom had been a single parent who worked all day waiting tables and then cleaning offices three nights a week, she’d never ever been too tired to read him a story before he switched off the light. Now, he’d like to do the same with his daughter.

  A sudden sadness swept over him. If only his mom had lived a few more years to see her grandchild. He’d hazard a guess she’d have spoiled her rotten. If not with material things, then with her love. She ha
d a lot of that to share. The best gift a parent could give to a kid. Geez, if he didn’t think of something else he was going to tear up and feel down for the rest of the night.

  When he got to the top of the stairs, he heard Lucy singing to the baby. If he wasn’t mistaken it was 'The Power of Love' from the movie Back to the Future, and it sounded like it was coming from the bathroom. That definitely put a smile on his face. As he edged closer to the door he heard Presley giggling and it made him almost want to burst out laughing.

  He leaned against the doorjamb and took another sip of beer watching as Lucy passed the washcloth over Presley’s chest as she sat in the bath. She continued to sing as the baby fisted the water and made gurgling noise as if she was trying to join in.

  Brad should have made his presence known as poor Lucy might be embarrassed when she realized that someone was listening to her crooning. But he wanted her to be unaware he was there. He wanted to observe her with his daughter. Watch those delicate hands of hers rub soap into the baby’s skin. And yes, he’d admit it, check out her cute butt as she leaned over the edge of the bath and held Presley safely in the water.

  Brad took another sip of beer, feeling stirrings in his groan again. How he wished he’d met this young woman under different circumstances. Maybe in a bar where he could ask her out without any complications getting in the way.

  Of course, they probably would have never met if it hadn’t been for Presley coming into his life, or him running into Sadie Sutton outside the supermarket that morning.

  Asking out an employee didn’t seem right but at the same time he was desperate to take Lucy out on a date. Maybe their night out to the playhouse would have to suffice and that would get it out of his system.

  Lucy turned to grab a towel, and stopped singing when she noticed him standing there. He smiled and then she smiled too

  “Guess you’ve realized that I like singing but I’m not that great at it.”

  “Didn’t sound too bad to me.”

  “You’re just being nice.”

  “Here, let me help you with Presley.”

  He put the beer bottle down on the top of the counter and held up the towel as she lifted Presley out of the tub. He wrapped it around his daughter’s shoulders, brushing Lucy’s fingers and hands as he did so. They stood looking at one another without saying a word. He ran his fingers over her knuckles, wondering if she’d realized that it hadn’t been by accident.