some other woman’s man. In New York, she hadn’t known, but now…
She pushed her hands on Brady’s chest, breaking the connection. His eyes were hazy and confused.
“What about…” She searched for the name she’d heard today. “Jules?”
His eyebrows drew together. “What about Jules?”
“Wow.” Her hands were on his chest and she could feel the muscle beneath her fingertips. Heat flushed her cheeks, remembering how his naked skin felt pressed against hers. She pulled her hands away from the fire that he ignited in her. Crossing her arms to keep them from checking out other muscles, she looked down her nose at him as she tried to rally her indignation. “Your girlfriend?”
Brady had the audacity to appear genuinely confused. “Jules?”
“I’m not stupid.” Though she was starting to wonder about him. “I heard you on the phone today. You said you were dating.”
Clarity transformed his face into a grin. “Aah.”
“Do you typically kiss other women when you date someone these days? Because I can tell you, I’m not okay with that.” Maggie wished she’d felt that way the minute his lips touched hers, but they hummed with pleasure and longed to jump right back into kissing.
“I’m not dating Jules.” He closed the distance between them.
She backed up a step on the porch stairs. “I’m not a fool. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’m available.”
“Are you involved with someone?” He stepped onto the bottom step, bringing their bodies within touching distance again. Even though the night was cooling rapidly, his heat curled out from his body and wrapped itself around her.
“I’m not a cheater,” she said in her best holier-than-thou voice.
His wolfish grin hit her below the belt. His gaze roamed over her possessively. She almost stumbled trying to get up another step.
“Just because your girlfriend isn’t here doesn’t make you available.” She held her chin a little higher, proud that she hadn’t crumpled under the power of the attraction between them.
“Jules isn’t my girlfriend.” He stepped again and they were eye to eye, chest to chest.
“But you said—”
“I said she could tell Peterson, a coworker of ours, that we were dating so that he’d stop asking her out. He won’t take no for an answer.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. His hand slipped behind her neck and every nerve in her body tingled in response. “I wouldn’t betray her or you in that way, Maggie.”
“Oh.” Her brain completely shut down on her. The blue of his eyes held her hypnotized, waiting for his next move. Her whole body was a shiver of anticipation.
“Found it!” Amber shouted through the door. Brady touched his forehead to hers. “To be continued.”
Brady sat at the table as Amber leafed through the pages of a scrapbook. Maggie had followed him in and disappeared.
“I wasn’t allowed to have a dog, but Nana let me put the stickers on this page, anyway.” Amber pointed at the little stickers of dogs surrounding a picture of Amber and Mrs. Brown.
“We have a dog out at the farm. His name is Barnabus.” Brady tried to not get distracted wondering where Maggie was and if she’d felt the same powerful draw that he had.
“I’ve never been on a farm. Is it like the zoo?” Amber turned the page. “See, we went to the zoo. It took a really long time to get there.”
“Never been on a farm?” Brady needed to stay focused on Amber.
Amber tucked her dark hair behind her ear. A motion he’d seen Maggie do at least a dozen times. “Billy has a farm, but I’m not friends with him.”
“We’ll have to fix that.” Brady pointed to a picture of Maggie with a monkey. “Did you take this?”
“Yeah, Mommy said it was silly, but I liked the picture.” She closed the scrapbook and met his eyes. “Would you take me to your farm?”
“It’s not my farm,” he said automatically. “My brother runs it, but I grew up there. I’d love to show you around.”
“This weekend?” Amber gave him a pleading smile and put her hands together. “Do you have horses?”
“Maybe. We don’t have horses.”
Amber gazed intently at his eyes. “You have the same color of eyes that I do.”
Brady held his breath. Would she make the connection?
“Time for bed, baby,” Maggie called from the other room.
“Will I see you tomorrow? Please, please, please, say yes.”
“I’ll try. I have some work to get done, but I’ll be over after. Especially if your mother is cooking.” He tweaked her nose with his finger.
Amber giggled and gave him a hug around his shoulders from behind him before running upstairs.
He took in a breath. This was familiar, yet foreign to him. Nights at the Ward farm had always been slow and easy, but nothing about his life since Tawnee Valley had been slow or easy. It was hard to remember how it felt to relax.
“You’ll be by tomorrow?” Maggie swept past him to the kitchen sink and started filling it with water.
“Planning on it.” He scrubbed his face, suddenly tired. “Can I help?”
“Sure.” Her voice was tight.
He took the drying towel and waited while she washed a few dishes. How many nights had he spent with his mother, helping with the dishes? The silence between Maggie and him was comfortable and distracting at the same time. How could he recapture that moment on the porch steps? And if he did, would he have the energy to follow through?
They finished the dinner dishes. She scrubbed the counters while he dried the last dish.
She took the towel from him and hung it before turning out the kitchen light. “You’ll think about what I said? About telling Amber?”
“Yes.” Brady followed her through the dining room to the front door where she held it open. Apparently, she didn’t want to pick up where they’d left off on the porch steps. Maybe she was as exhausted as he felt.
“She needs to know.” Maggie finally met his gaze.
What he wouldn’t give to wipe away the weariness from her. To ease her burden.
“I’ll tell her. I promise.”
“More promises.” She half smiled.
“Promises I intend to keep.” Brady stepped close, but she retreated when he lifted his hand toward her.
“I
