Discovering Harmony (Wishing Well, Texas #3)

by Melanie Shawn

  “I am not hogging her.” Harmony’s eyes were still trained on the bundle she was holding. “We’re just bonding.”

  “Okay, Auntie Bonding.” JJ stepped around the bed and reached for his daughter. “Time’s up, I want to show off my daughter.”

  Harmony kept Delilah just out of her brother’s grasp. For the first time since I’d walked in, she raised her head. “I can show her…”

  Her voice trailed off when our eyes met. We stared at each other silently. Even though we weren’t actually talking, from my side of the situation, everything was being said. Things that I would never say out loud. Things like how badly I wished that it were our baby Harmony was holding. How badly I wanted to throw her over my shoulder like a caveman, take her to the nearest dark corner and make a baby with her. How badly I wanted her to want those things, too.

  In some part of my brain, I was aware that we were in a hospital room. I was vaguely conscious of the fact that JJ and Destiny were also in the room and probably sensed the energy shift. I’d always tried to keep whatever I felt for Harmony to myself. My mom might’ve guessed, but I would be damn surprised if JJ had a clue. A small, sane voice in the back of my head pointed out that if I didn’t break free from the spell Harmony had cast on me, he’d have more than a clue. He’d be able to solve-the-puzzle-Pat.

  Clearing my throat, I crossed the room in two strides. JJ stepped beside Destiny’s bed so I could see the baby that Harmony wasn’t willing to relinquish control of.

  “Hudson, meet Delilah Rose. Lilah, meet Hud.” Harmony sing-songed the introduction.

  “Wow, she is beautiful.” I wasn’t just saying that either.

  I’d seen newborn babies. Twice. Both times while on the job. And to be honest, they kind of looked like aliens. They were discolored and had odd shaped heads. But, JJ and Destiny’s daughter looked like she belonged on a baby food commercial. She had long dark lashes, rosy red lips, and perfectly round cherubic cheeks.

  “Yes, she is,” JJ agreed, adding, “Just like her mama.”

  JJ and Destiny had only been a couple a few months longer than Cara and Trace, but being around them, I also couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t. In the same way Cara and Trace seemed to belong together, Destiny and JJ just fit.

  The chair squeaked on the tile floor as Harmony stood. “Her mama looks tired. I’ll get out of your way and let you rest.”

  “You don’t have to leave,” Destiny insisted, but the dark circles beneath her eyes told a different story.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow, unless they release you in the morning, then I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon when you’re home and settled.”

  Destiny grinned as she rested her head back against the pillow.

  “Okay, baby girl, I’m going to give you back to your daddy. But, I’ll see you soon. I love you. Be a good girl and let your mommy rest tonight.” Harmony’s hair fell over her shoulder as she gently kissed Delilah on the cheek before handing her to JJ.

  My heart expanded painfully in my chest at the sweet, nurturing gesture.

  Damn, this woman had me in all kinds of knots before seeing that. Before I kissed her. Before I knew that her body pressed against mine felt like my other half. Before I’d held her in my arms and felt like I’d found my soul’s missing puzzle piece.

  As we both said our goodbyes to the new parents, my mind was reeling. When I’d broken up with Ali, I’d been determined to get over Harmony. That was over a year ago, and all I’d managed to do was fall even deeper.

  Obviously, what I was doing wasn’t working. Part of what made me good at my job was the fact that I could quickly and effectively assess a situation and respond accordingly. I was adaptable. Guys that were too by the book and inflexible had a hard time resolving situations. Results were what mattered to me. I’d trained myself to never be more focused on the execution than the outcome in my professional life.

  Maybe I’d been going about this the wrong way. Maybe trying to deny our obvious attraction, avoid our combustible chemistry, and suppress my feelings wasn’t the means to the end I needed.

  It was time to change my tactic. No more of this tiptoeing around, hiding bullshit. I, we, needed to face this head on. That was the only way to move on and live the lives we were meant to lead.

  Harmony and I had some serious unfinished business to take care of, and I was more than eager to get started.

  Chapter 15

  Harmony

  “It’s hard to follow your heart when it’s more confused than your head.”

  ~ Loretta Reed

  “Then she smiled!” I exclaimed as I petted Romeo’s head, that was lying on my lap. “I know it was probably just gas, but I don’t care. Coop was holding her, she started crying, I took her and she smiled. Those are the facts.”

  I’d been talking nonstop since we left the hospital. There were two reasons for that. One, I was madly in love with Miss Delilah Rose and couldn’t seem to stop talking about her. And the second was pure nervous energy. After not one but two close encounters of the emotional kind, first with Hud today, and then becoming an aunt, I was a certified basket case.

  “Oh and did I tell you that when I put my finger on her precious little feet, she curled her tiny, perfect toes around it. And when she cries, she makes a little boo-boo lip. It quivers and her eyes squint. It’s so sad, but also kind of the sweetest thing in the world. I know it’s probably too early to predict, but I think she’s going to be a good sleeper. It didn’t matter how many people were in the room, she slept right through the noise. She’s the prettiest baby in the world. Right?”

  Hud’s chin dipped in a nod and he grinned but remained silent as he stared out the windshield. The moonlight accentuated his chiseled facial features and the sight left me momentarily speechless. My mama taught me that staring was rude, but there was no way I could tear my gaze away. I took the rare opportunity to study Hud from this close up. All my life he’d kept his distance from me…until he’d backed me up against the barn and kissed me senseless, that was.

  My eyes scanned their way from his dark wavy hair down the strong line of his forehead. He was a real man’s man. Not like a lot of the pretty boys I usually dated. He wasn’t pretty. He was sexy. He had a strong jaw. Straight nose. Eyebrows that framed his face perfectly. But the real show-stopper was a toss-up between his amber-colored eyes surrounded by dark, thick lashes, and those full, plump lips that I now knew for a fact were so masterful at the art of kissing he could easily do a Ted Talk on the subject.

  I got lost in the lines and curves of his features. He was so still, so motionless, it was like I was appreciating a piece of art, a perfectly sculpted marble statue. So when his eyes slanted towards mine, it startled me. Besides the surprise, his quick glance sent a zing shooting through me like a pinball hitting all of my erogenous zones.

  If it were any other guy sitting in the driver’s seat, I’d have scooted closer and made a suggestive, flirty remark. Maybe even tugged my shirt down to show just the right amount of cleavage to tease with what was beneath the cotton. If it were any other guy, I would’ve had him eating out of my hand, or other more fun parts of my anatomy, in a matter of seconds. But this was Hud, and, as much as I liked to pretend that I had the upper hand, I didn’t. Not when it came to him. And definitely not after that amazing kiss we’d shared—the one that I was equally terrified of not happening and happening again.

  Anxiety swept over me thinking of both outcomes. What if he never kissed me again? What if that was the only time I’d feel the hard planes of his body pressed against mine? He’d brought me closer to an orgasm, fully-clothed, than the last three men I’d had sex with.

  A small voice in the back of my head reminded me that my eighteen-month self-imposed dry spell might have something to do with that, but I knew better. My lack of sexy-time had nothing to do with how my body had responded this morning.

  I could handle attraction. Want. Desire. Physical need so intense it felt like I was going to di
e…easy-peasy-fresh-n-squeezy.

  The problem was, with Hud, I felt that…and more. The more was scarier than me being the meat in a Leatherface and Mike Meyers sandwich. The crush that I’d been nursing since…forever…was one thing. But this was more. More was something totally out of my comfort zone, and I had no idea how to handle it.

  Romeo must’ve sensed the change in my emotions. He crawled onto my lap and turned once, then twice before awkwardly laying down. It cracked me up that he really did think he was a lapdog. I rubbed him behind his ear and told him what a good boy he was. He may not fit on my lap, but I was damn sure glad to have him there.

  “Oh shit!” I yelled and grabbed Hud’s forearm.

  “What’s wrong?”

  His eyes darted to mine and I felt his muscles tense beneath my touch.

  “I haven’t fed Romeo. I told Coop to take him to the park and play with him or take him home with him, but I forgot—”

  The corded strain under my fingertips relaxed as Hud exhaled. “I fed him. And walked him. And we spent a couple of hours at the park.”

  “You did? Really?”

  “I did.” He nodded. “I took him to the park across the street and let him play for a little bit. And when we got back I got him some water and a bowl of chicken and rice from the cafeteria. I talked to your mom and she said you were going to be awhile, so we went back to the park. He was only in the truck for about an hour total.”

  “Really?” I repeated as tears threatened my eyes. A lump formed in my throat and I began rubbing Romeo behind his ears trying to distract myself. “Thank you so much.”

  He really was a superhero. An errant drop of liquid emotion fell down my cheek and I took in a shaky breath as I wiped it, hoping to erase all evidence that I was as affected by his actions as I was.

  I sniffed, hoping to hold the floodgate at bay. “Why didn’t Coop—”

  “Your brother asked for the keys so he could take him out. I told him I took care of it.”

  Oh, Lord. I took care of it. How could five words sound so damn sexy? Inhaling a shaky breath, I wished I had a fan because the air had grown hot. Hot and heavy.

  When we pulled up in front of my house moments later, I was both relieved and disappointed. Things with Hud had not been going how I’d envisioned, not that they ever did, and I was feeling very out of my depth. This was Thursday, which meant that I wouldn’t be seeing him again until Monday. That seemed like an eternity.

  My hand had just brushed the doorknob when I noticed my car sitting in the driveway. I’d been planning on having one of my brothers give me a ride to get it tomorrow.

  Spinning my head so fast I was lucky I didn’t get whiplash, my eyes widened as I stated the obvious. “My car’s here.”

  “I took care of that, too,” his raspy voice reverberated from my head to my toes.

  “Thanks.” I swallowed over the large lump in my throat. “Thanks for everything. The car. For giving me a ride to the hospital and waiting for me. Taking care of this guy.” I rubbed Romeo’s head and looked down, not able to take the depth and heat in Hud’s stare.

  Even without making direct eye contact, it still felt like flames were burning every place he looked on my body. Fire was a funny thing. It drew you, moth to a flame and all that, but then if you got too close you got burned.

  Hoping to lighten the hot and heavy mood that had settled in the cab of the truck, I tried to inject some sarcasm to leave on a lighter note. “Guess it’s a good thing that my only baby is Romeo, since I’m having a hard time even taking care of him.”

  His naturally deep timbre held an extra layer of rumble that caused goosebumps to spread over my arms as he said, “You’d be an amazing mom. Seeing you with Delilah was…”

  Was…? For some reason hearing what it was suddenly became as important as breathing to me. I needed to know what he saw. What that look on his face had been.

  Holding my niece in my arms had felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. The second I saw her, I was in love, completely and unconditionally. I knew there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that girl. She could murder someone and I’d hide the body. I knew that, but I wondered what he saw.

  “And Romeo’s lucky to have you. You’re doing a great job.”

  My heart sank a little that he’d brushed past whatever he was going to say.

  “Sure, I am.” Sarcasm was my friend.

  “You got nanny cams so you could watch him when you go out. You were late the first day of your community service so that you could go back home and get him.”

  And change my outfit. But…semantics.

  “You only had community service in the first place because you broke the law for him.”

  “Anyone would’ve done that.” I sighed as I looked down at my eighty pound, sleeping baby.

  “No.” Hud’s tone grew even deeper, sexier—which I wouldn’t have believed was possible if I hadn’t heard it myself. “Most people wouldn’t have. Some people might’ve felt bad. Some people might’ve tried to reason with Cruella.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the fact he used her nickname.

  When I glanced up at him I noticed that he’d shifted towards me, making the enclosed space seem even smaller, more intimate than it had just moments ago. Or maybe he hadn’t, maybe it just felt like he had because he’d turned his intense gaze and focused it solely on me.

  “Some people might’ve gone back first thing Monday, but I promise, you are one of the only people I know who would commit a B&E for a dog that wasn’t even theirs, because of thunder.” He spoke about my crime as if I were Mother Theresa not Jessie James as he moved at least two inches in my direction.

  This time I knew it wasn’t illusion. The scent of wood chips, leather, and soap intensified and was mixed with mint from his breath the closer he got.

  “It wasn’t because of thunder.” I didn’t even recognize the breathy Happy-Birthday-Mr.-President voice that came out of my mouth, but I kept talking and hoped that it would self-correct. “It was because he’s so scared of thunder.”

  He paused, and drew back slightly as the corners of his eyes narrowed when his gaze laser locked on mine.

  Logically, I knew that the eyes weren’t really windows into your soul, but the way he was looking at me had me thinking there might be more to that saying than I’d originally given it credit for. It also made me want to shut my lids like curtains.

  His voice softened as he stated more than asked, “You really don’t know do you, Princess?”

  No.

  “Know what?”

  “How amazing you are.”

  “Yes, I do.” I heard my false bravado and hoped that Hud hadn’t picked up on it.

  It’s not that I had low self-esteem—I didn’t. At least when it came to my appearance. I knew my strengths. And ninety percent of them were firmly in the physical department. Not that I was complaining. I wasn’t one of those “pretty girls” who whined that life was so hard because no one took them seriously, or anything like that. Being attractive was better than being unattractive, but that didn’t make me amazing.

  Destiny was amazing. She’s always known what she wanted and she went after it. Her bakery, check. JJ, check. Family, check. She was knocking out life goals faster than I was making them.

  And if you really wanted to talk about amazing, you didn’t have to look any further than our third Angel, Cara. Not only had she beat cancer, she was also the sweetest, kindest, most supportive person in the world.

  Then there was me. I was fun, funny, and moderately intelligent. And I was easy on the eyes, but I wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire or inspiring people to live a better life.

  Hud’s all too perceptive observation sent my fight or flight reflex into code red. Flight won.

  “Well, thanks again. See ya Monday.” I started to open the door, not sparing him even a glance when I felt his hand on my knee. I froze.

  “Harmony. We need to talk.” From a scale of on
e to serious, he was tipping the scales into Walter Cronkite.

  I had a feeling I knew where this was headed and had no desire to follow him down the that-wasn’t-a-compliment, I’m-sorry-I-kissed-you, it’s-not-you-it’s-me rabbit hole.

  “Yeah, we do.” I dropped my hand from the door and turned. In what could be considered either a very good or very bad thing (the jury was still out) Hud’s hand dropped from my knee. “Why the hell is my brother asking you to take in Stiller’s foal and calf? You don’t even have a farm. Or, do you? You said your aunt and uncle are going to be the caretakers up at Emerald Cove. Does that mean they’ll be taking care of it for you? And what the hell is it anyways.”

  If we were going down We Need To Talk highway, I was going to be the one in the driver’s seat. Harmony Briggs was at the wheel.

  Chapter 16

  Hudson

  “There’s two theories to arguin’ with a woman. Neither one works.”

  ~ Loretta Reed

  I’d never been a big talker. In fact hearing the words “we need to talk” ranked right up there with standing with my feet spread wide while the Rockettes’ took turns kicking my crotch. So the fact that I’d uttered those very words to Harmony was almost the same as if I’d asked my mom for Grandma Burke’s ring for her. I was still reeling from my own declaration when she’d taken the reins and headed in a completely opposite direction.

  This wasn’t the talk I wanted to have, but from the look in Harmony’s vivid green gaze it was the one we were going to have.

  “Coop asked me about the animals because of the project that I’ve…that we’ve…been working on.”

  Her perfectly arched left brow rose a quarter of an inch. “We’ve been working on?”

  “Yep. You, because you’re bound by law, and me because it’s my baby.”

  The corners of her cat eyes pinched and her head tilted to the right as she repeated slowly. “Your baby?”

  “About four years ago I got an idea. It started because of a couple of kids that I became attached to after a bust that their parents were involved in, were put in the foster care system. I checked in on them regularly and during one of my visits they told me they wanted to go to camp. When I spoke to their foster parents, they explained they couldn’t afford to send all six of the kids that they have. So I took care of it.”