few paces brought him close enough for her to see the banked fire in his eyes and the tension snapping in the muscles of his jaw. Matthew squirmed in her arms, burying more deeply against her. She realized, as Gage skidded to an imposing stop in front of her, that the fire wasn’t anger but concern for the child.
“I told your grandmother to go to her church meeting,” she explained, gently patting Matthew’s little back. “She confessed she’d been missing her friends and the fellowship, so I’m doing some shopping, and Matthew, the gentleman that he is, has agreed to accompany me.”
A muscle jumped along Gage’s right temple. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam coming out of his ears. His gaze fell to the bench where a few shopping bags sat waiting for her. He probably had some preconceived notion about women who shopped.
“Gran left you alone with the baby?” He bit it out, bulking up like a bear in a rage.
“Why shouldn’t she? I’m a licensed day-care worker, not in the state of Alaska, but still, I’m more than capable.” The baby cooed, his fists clinging to her T-shirt, holding on.
Poor little guy. She gently tugged one plump baby fist free and gave his knuckles a raspberry kiss, earning a bubbly grin and a shout of glee. Matthew tried to keep her captive with his gaze.
She tweaked his nose playfully, earning an ear-to-ear smile, before turning her attention to the glowering man who didn’t look happy at all.
“What? Jean appreciated the offer. She hasn’t been able to enjoy her friends and church activities as much since Matthew came to stay.” She was not intimidated by the mountain man, and now that she knew what to look for, she could see the hurt. That was the reason for the barrier he kept up between people, and the way he pushed at her to keep a safe distance between them.
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