To Have And To Hold: Made for Marriage / To Wed a Rancher / The Mummy Proposal. Helen Lacey

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СКАЧАТЬ suppose not.” He finished his coffee and stood. “I should get going.”

      “Sometimes you have to try people on,” Evie said quietly. “To see if they fit.”

      Noah looked at his sister. “That’s not the problem.”

      “So there is a problem?” she asked.

      He shrugged and felt like spilling his guts, but he didn’t. Because what he felt, what he knew was that beneath the sassy, quick temper and barriers she’d erected around herself was an incredibly fragile woman. A woman who’d been hurt.

       I’m going to get my heart kicked in …

      That’s what he felt deep down. That she was all risk. Like the wildest ride at a theme park. Like parachuting without a chute. But … despite feeling that way, Noah was unbelievably drawn to her. He wanted her, even with the threat of losing himself. And knowing he was prepared to take that chance turned him inside out. Because Noah never risked himself emotionally. He couldn’t afford to. The kids needed stability—they needed a parent who could be relied upon to always do the right thing by them. And if he was to bring another woman into their life, that woman had to do the right thing by them also. They needed unreserved love.

      Could Callie do that? Could he trust her to love them? He just didn’t know.

      “There’s no problem,” he said to his sister. “Thanks for watching them. I’ll see you soon.”

      As Callie zipped up her favorite sundress—the white one with sprigs of tiny blue flowers—and stepped into a pair of silver sandals, she could hear Fiona’s voice calling from the kitchen. Her friend had arrived to work her horse and had stayed for a coffee and chat.

      “So, you’re going on a date with Noah?”

      “It’s not a date,” Callie insisted as she headed from the bedroom. “It’s just dinner.”

      When Callie reached the kitchen Fiona was standing by the sink. “At his home? With his kids?” Her friend raised both brows. “That’s a date.”

      Of course it’s a date. I like him. I’m attracted to him.

      Just because they weren’t going out dining and dancing alone didn’t mean it was anything other than a real date.

      I shouldn’t go. I should keep to my plan and not get involved.

      But Callie knew it was too late for that.

      She arrived at the Preston home at exactly six o’clock. She grabbed her tote, locked the truck and headed toward the front porch. At the top of the few steps lay a sleepy-looking golden retriever who barely lifted its head at her presence. It made her smile, thinking of Tessa and her boundless energy.

      “That’s Harry,” said a small voice. A young boy stood behind the screen door. He opened it and stepped in front of her. “He’s very lazy.”

      She smiled “So I see. Not much of a guard dog, then?”

      Jamie giggled. “Nope. And he snores really loud.” He opened the door and stood to the side. “I’m Jamie—are you coming inside?”

      Callie filled her lungs with air and stepped across the threshold.

      The polished timber floors, brick-faced walls and warm textures of the furnishings appealed to her immediately. She caught sight of a huge stone fireplace and headed for it, settling her sandaled feet on a thick hearth rug in the middle of the room. The two sofas were covered in a soft caramel color, and a large stone lamp was nudged between them on a round coffee table. The sideboard along one wall was dotted with an assortment of bric-a-brac, most of it obviously created by young, eager hands. The warmth radiating in the room was undeniable and she experienced a deep longing behind her ribs.

      “This is the living room,” Jamie informed her. “And my TV.”

      “Your TV?” she asked, noticing the huge flat screen and shelving either side showcasing a few hundred movie titles.

      “Well, Dad’s, really. Do you like spiders?”

      “Well, I …”

      The sound of feet on floorboards caught her attention, and Callie turned as Noah came down a staircase at the rear of the living room.

      He stopped on the bottom step. “Hello.”

      She hadn’t realized the home had more than one level and he must have caught her look.

      “The loft,” he explained. “The previous owners used it for storage but it seemed a shame not to make use of the view up there, so I had it turned into a master bedroom.”

      “And bathroom,” Jamie supplied.

      Noah’s bedroom … where he slept. Callie was suddenly rooted to the spot, absorbed by the way he looked in worn jeans and a soft white T-shirt. His feet were bare and it seemed incredibly intimate somehow. His hair was damp, too, and she figured he’d just showered. Which made her think of soap and skin and water cascading over strong muscles. Before Callie could say anything the twins scrambled into the room on fast little feet and planted themselves in front of her.

      The little girl touched the hem of her dress. “Callie’s here!” she announced excitedly. “You look really pretty. Daddy won’t let me wear nail polish.”

      Callie smiled, amused despite the fierce pounding of her heart. “I wasn’t allowed to wear it either until I was …” She paused, looked at Noah and took a gamble. “Sixteen.”

      Noah smiled. “Good answer.” He dropped off the step and took a few paces toward her, his eyes not leaving hers. “You do look lovely.”

      Eaten up with nerves, she almost told him that he looked lovely, too. But didn’t. Because lovely wasn’t the word. He looked … hot. And so incredibly sexy in his jeans and bare feet that she had to swallow a few times to regain her composure.

      “Okay, guys—give Callie some room to breathe.” He moved forward and took Matthew’s hand. “I have to get these two in the bathtub. I won’t be long. Make yourself at home.”

      “Where’s Lily tonight?”

      “At a sleepover at Maddy’s,” he replied as the trio padded off down the hall.

      Callie relaxed fractionally. Until Jamie repeated his question about liking spiders. She had an awful thought he might have one in a jar for her to inspect. Within seconds he was off down the hallway. Callie dropped her tote by the sofa and moved toward the mantel. About a dozen framed photographs caught her attention. Most of them were of the children, and one was of three women. Callie recognized Evie and could see the resemblance in the striking woman beside her with dark hair and perfectly symmetrical features. The other woman, clearly younger, looked familiar, and Callie remembered M.J. from the Twilight Fair. An older couple, his parents for sure because she recognized his mother, filled another shot and then there was a picture of Noah with Cameron, both holding up a fish on a hook and both laughing in a way that only best friends could.

      There were no pictures of his ex-wife and she wondered why she thought there might be. Perhaps she just СКАЧАТЬ