to lower her arms. Putting his hands on her waist, he slipped off the stool and swung her on top of it.
As he turned away, she reached out for him. “Hunter, be careful.”
“I will, Bri, I promise.”
He walked over to the corner and stared at the dead animal. It was definitely a rat, a large one. Could he get away with telling Bri it was a big mouse? He was afraid she’d realize he was lying. He’d never been good at lying.
He came back to the stool.
She held out her arms, as if ready to resume her position in his lap. He shook his head. “I’m going to walk around for a while, to stretch my legs.”
“And what was it?”
He hung his head. He hated to tell her. “It was a rat. But it’s definitely dead.”
She reached for him, her hold probably leaving bruises on his skin. “You’d better get back up here with me. We’ll be safe here.”
He wasn’t going to discuss the safety of the stool. If he took that refuge away from her, she’d go to pieces. “Nope, I’ll be safe enough out here in the open.”
He began to pace, but thought of a question he’d wanted to ask. “You know, when you’ve talked about your childhood, you never mention your mother. Where was she?”
“She died when we were born.”
“Why?”
“She bled to death. That’s why Dad—uh, it was sad for my father, but we didn’t know the difference.”
“Didn’t he ever remarry?”
She shook her head, but she kept her gaze fastened to the trap in the corner.
“But your dad took care of the three of you?” Somehow, he wanted to know she’d been okay.
She shrugged. “He hired someone.”
Hunter was surprised by the anger mixed with sorrow he felt. “He hired someone? He didn’t take care of you himself?”
“He was busy. And he doesn’t seem to care for babies. Once we got old enough to talk, to understand, he began to take a little interest in us.”
“Hence the cat?”
Briana shot him a rueful smile. “That was the first time he listened to me. And then only because I was disrupting his peace. But I believed it was because he loved me. More than my brothers. It satisfied me for several years. I’d tell myself the cat was there because he loved me, even if he couldn’t spend time with me.”
“How did your brothers react?”
“They hated the cat. And teased it a couple of times when they caught it. But then it scratched them and they backed off.”
He’d taken a lot of psychology classes and was fascinated with children’s coping mechanisms. “And when did you demand more attention?”
“How do you know I did?” She wouldn’t look at him and he grinned, stepped closer and slid his arms around her waist. He liked holding her close.
“Just a hunch,” he said with a grin. Her memories seemed to relax her, and that was a good thing.
“Actually, my brothers took action first. They became little hellions. Again, my father’s peace was cut up. He demanded Grace make them behave. Grace and her husband, Douglas, took care of us. Grace looked him in the eye and told him if he didn’t participate in his children’s lives, there wasn’t anything she could do.”
“Wise woman.”
“Yes, and brave. Dad wasn’t an easy man to face down. He’d been grieving about our mother’s death and paying attention to business. It was easier to leave us to someone else. But to his credit, that’s when he changed. We’d started school, and he’d discovered we had minds.”
Hunter lifted one hand and cupped her soft, warm cheek. “So then your father loved you?”
She shrugged again. “That’s when he played a part in our lives. By the time we graduated from college, I think he loved us. We’ve been a family the last few years.”
He pulled her against him and rubbed her back. “What about you? Did you have the perfect childhood?”
“I suppose I did. My dad was a doctor, had a small practice in the country, handled all kinds of emergencies. My mom was always there for me and my brother. Not that we realized we had anything special. Now I do.”
She pushed away from him. “And I suppose that’s the kind of woman you’ll marry for your future kids. So they’ll have the same life.”
There was a bitterness in her voice that made him raise his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t everyone want the same thing? Wouldn’t you have preferred to have a mother?”
“Of course I would!” she snapped.
“Whoa, there, lady. What did I say wrong?”
“Nothing. What time is it?”
“Almost three. Are you exhausted?” He’d give her her change of subject. Things were stressful enough for her as it was.
“Yes. I didn’t get much sleep during the conference. I didn’t want to miss anything,” she said, rubbing one temple.
“Did your headache ever go away?” he asked, taking her pulse at her neck.
“Yes, mostly.”
“Look, why don’t you—I can hold you and let you sleep a little. That’s probably the only thing that will give you any relief, and it will make the time pass faster. Before you know it, it will be morning and your nightmare will be over.”
“That’s not fair to you,” she said doubtfully, staring at him. “And it’s—you know what happened last time.”
“I explained it’s something a man can’t control. But nothing happened, remember?” He was glad she couldn’t read his mind. Holding her again was becoming an obsession for him.
Finally, she slid off the stool, standing next to it. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. I’d give a lot to get a few minutes of sleep.”
“I don’t mind.” He climbed onto the stool and held out his arms. Slowly, unlike the last time, she responded to his invitation. She settled in his lap, but she seemed unsure where to put her hands.
“Wrap your arms around me,” he suggested, “and lay your head on my chest.”
She did so, and he held her in place, feeling a surprising peace settle in him. He had her safe in his arms. Softly rubbing her back, he whispered, “You’re safe now. Just relax.”
After several minutes, her body began to relax and grow heavy against him. She was asleep.
AS
