Lani's Makeshift Family Read online

  His breath hitched in his chest, and he grabbed her arm in time.

  “I can manage.” She pulled away and left.

  He watched her slender form cuddling Ana and whispering in her ear as she headed down the hallway. His heart squeezed. He’d never been the jealous type, but right now he was jealous of Lani Cabot.

  ****

  “She stayed asleep, thank goodness,” Lani said, coming into the living room.

  Nick nodded toward her.

  She’d hoped he would have gone to sleep in his own room. He certainly looked exhausted. After all her rest, she felt wide-awake, although it was the middle of the night. Again, she chose the rocker although the couch had a better view of the fireplace. She certainly didn’t want to repeat falling asleep on Nick’s shoulder.

  “Nick, thank you for all you’ve done.” She had to say the words, although she knew Nick wouldn’t want to hear them. He seemed like the type that didn’t deal well with a compliment, or maybe he didn’t want anyone to notice his good heart under his rough exterior.

  Silently, he stared at the fire.

  Maybe she should leave him alone. Sadness dulled his eyes. Obviously something was on his mind. Guilt at the thought of invading a private moment settled, and Lani decided to leave. She’d inflicted enough of herself and her daughters on Nick, and since he looked as if he didn’t want to talk, she’d respect his wishes. She stood and walked toward the door.

  “You feeling better?” he asked.

  She stopped in the doorway and turned.

  He remained on the couch, but a smile worked its way across his lips. Her heartbeat sped at the slight change. How foolish! Even though it wasn’t in his character, he was just being polite. First she’d labeled him as gruff, then hints of being nice had invaded her opinion of him. She had to stop misreading him.

  No one could ever accuse Lani Cabot of being an expert at reading people. Geez.

  “Yes, thank you. I actually feel back to normal…” She waited for some caustic remark, but a mellow look draped over Nick as the golden flames of the fire reflected on his face.

  “I think Ana will be able to hold down some solids tomorrow,” he said. “And, don’t get me wrong, but Lexi isn’t fussing as much as she did when you first got here.”

  Her heart leapt at the fact that he’d noticed the change in the babies, too. It wasn’t her imagination only wanting them to adjust. No, she was glad to hear it from him. Still, he’d directed the conversation away from her condition pretty quickly. That was fine with her though. She didn’t need to have him staring at her, or touching her forehead, or burning his heat into her arm.

  Between the rich atmosphere of the crackling fire, the moonbeams sneaking through the window, and the heady scent of Nick Hunter, her legs were starting to weaken. She could blame it on her recent illness, but no illness ever caused her insides to tingle like this or to make her heartbeat skip like a child playing hopscotch. Shoot, she had to stop thinking like this.

  Lani mentally shook herself. What had Nick just said? She grabbed onto the doorframe and stared at the moose head on the wall. Oh, that’s right. He’d said Ana could eat tomorrow.

  “Good. I hope she is better. It’s hard to feel so helpless…”

  Nick looked toward her, but she knew he wasn’t seeing her. She must have said something to bring that pain back into his eyes. An overwhelming urge to hold him surfaced. Despite the right side of her brain sending a blaring warning, she stepped near Nick and touched his shoulder.

  He turned and, without hesitating, he took her hand and held it to his cheek.

  The stubble of beard prickled, but she didn’t mind. With gentle pressure, he pulled her downward until her glance met his. She had to hold him. Sorrow masked the sparkle she’d noticed earlier, and a compelling feeling surged through her. A desire to take whatever pain had caused Nick Hunter to seclude himself in this cabin forced her to reach up with her free hand and pull his head toward her.

  She couldn’t tell who kissed whom first, but it didn’t matter. Nick ran his lips across hers, sending waves of need to her bare toes. She’d only wanted to comfort him, she told herself, but she really wanted more. It had been so long since she’d wanted someone to kiss her. Most of the dates she’d had since her divorce waited patiently at her door while she pretended to fish for her keys, then with a hasty thank you, she’d sneak inside. But with Nick it was different. She wanted Nick to kiss her—and she wanted to kiss him right back.

  Before she could wonder if it was gratitude for the way he took care of her and her daughters, or simple lust, she felt his hands move to her shoulders, then down to her waist. With the slightest effort, Nick lifted her over the back of the couch as if she weighed less than her twins.

  What a wonderful surprise to end up in his lap! He pulled back a second as if to see if she was comfortable, then leaned down for another kiss. She closed her eyes in time to inhale the musky scent of Nick. Her heart surged and, even if she’d twisted every muscle in her body on her trip over the couch, she’d never know it. Wildly crazy sensations crackled in her thoughts like the sparks dancing about in the fire as his lips trailed along her neck.

  He pushed her hair back to nuzzle behind her ear then stopped.

  Her eyes flew open. What the heck?

  “Hold on,” he whispered.

  He eased her to the side, and reached into his pocket. If he pulled out a cigarette, she would….

  Nick took a ribbon, her blue ribbon, from his pocket and pushed the strands of hair from her face. His hand brushed against her skin, singeing it with pleasure. His warm breath tickled her cheek, and she sighed. How amazing that having her hair captured into a ribbon would feel so good. Nick’s strong hands were as gentle as a child’s as he tied back her hair.

  “I believe this belongs to you,” he whispered.

  Speechless, she swallowed at his husky tone. He could have been tying her hair with a rag and she wouldn’t have cared. She should stop them now. After all, Nick wasn’t the man for her. He obviously had a problem with adoption, and he thought he was better at caring for her girls…but his touch felt so good.

  When he moved his hands forward to cup her chin, Lani sighed. She couldn’t hold back. It wouldn’t matter if her hair stuck out from the ribbon like a porcupine’s quills…because he had saved her darn ribbon.

  Having a clear view of Lani’s flawless skin, Nick leaned forward. He inhaled her sweet spicy fragrance and he knew he’d never use his shampoo again—without getting too excited.

  She didn’t pull back when he ran his hand across her waist. In fact, she turned toward him. He lifted his leg to twist closer to her, but she had the same idea and the two tumbled off the couch.

  “Damn it!” Nick mumbled.

  Beneath him Lani laid face to snout with the black bear rug. She looked at it with widened eyes as if the animal were alive.

  Nick moved over and pulled himself to sit. He tried to pull her up, too, but when their glances met, they froze. Within seconds, as if their minds were on the same wavelength, they broke out into hysterics.

  “Are you all right?” Nick asked, guiding her to a sitting position.

  She managed to choke out, “I’m…fine. Where did you get this hideous creature anyway?”

  The mood broken, Nick sat back on his heels. “Hey, I shot that guy when I was a teenager.”

  “You did?”

  She blinked her dark lashes at him like a hussy, but he knew she was teasing—except the effects on his body were real.

  “I didn’t mean to insult your trophy…I just, well, I hate bears.”

  Nick looked at her. He could understand someone being afraid of a real bear, but that rug wasn’t a threat. It looked as if Lani realized it as the fear drained from her face, but she also looked as if she didn’t want to give any explanation of why she hated bears.

  Lani pulled up her knees and hugged her hands around them. The honey flames of the fire reflected in her eyes. Nick forced his gaz
e from Lani toward the bear—a much safer target. If he insisted on ogling Lani Cabot, who knew what would happen? The tightness in his jeans warned him that they’d almost made a gigantic mistake. He was so taken in by her looks, hell, by holding a female, that he’d nearly let his desire for a beautiful woman allow him to make love to Lani. And looking at her while she so innocently hugged her knees, he knew he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t use her for his own pleasures even if the opportunity was so convenient.

  But he sure as hell wanted to.

  Chapter Eight

  Lani straightened her shirt as she pulled herself to stand, wishing she could straighten her thoughts as quickly. “So…so you shot this bear?” She nodded toward the animal that seemed to stare at her from its place on the floor. The rug was difficult to look at, but consciously, she knew it was no threat. Her father’s stories had caused an unwarranted fear in her toward the darn rug, but she forced her pulse to slow and sucked in a deep breath. Actually, she had more to concern herself with—like their kiss.

  Nervously, she tugged tighter on her shirt although it was as far down as it could go. What nearly happened? She must have lost some brain cells with her recent illness. She had kissed Nick first, and the worse thing was, she had wanted to. And what else would she have done if they hadn’t fallen off the couch?

  Nick Hunter caused urges that were frightening—and wonderful. She’d never been one to give into any physical whim, especially with someone she barely knew. But in the short time she’d been with Nick, she felt as if she was getting to know him.

  Or, was she rationalizing because she had wanted to kiss him?

  She considered herself a pretty good judge of character. Nick hid a sensitive, caring person under his bristly exterior. After all, he hadn’t thrown her and the girls out the first night before the bridge collapsed, he hadn’t tried to take advantage of her in any way, and he’d never admit it, but he wasn’t smoking around the babies, cursing, or drinking that she could tell. His sensitivity showed in the sparkle of his eyes when the girls smiled.

  The girls, her girls. She needed to remind herself that she was now a mother. Ever since she arrived, he’d acted as if she didn’t know how to care for Alexa and Ana. Sure she’d been a nervous wreck. What new mother wasn’t? But she’d been trying so hard, yet he made her doubt herself. It wasn’t fair that she got sick before she could prove it to him…to herself.

  He could never be the right man for her. She never should have kissed him.

  Nick’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Why is that so hard to believe that I’d shot that bear? I’m a damn good aim.” He worked his way past her to the fire. Dying embers revived with a few pokes. He remained there longer than necessary until he turned to face Lani.

  The dim light from the fire was plenty bright to draw attention to his face. Once again that tingly feeling started deep inside her, and it was getting harder to ignore. Even her embarrassment at kissing him didn’t stop her body from reacting in the sensual atmosphere of the dying fire. Obviously, her hormones were running rampant because of the situation—stranded in a mountain cabin with a gorgeous man. Pure lust. That was all it was.

  She had to stop looking at him so she turned around. Nick might think she was rude to be facing away, but she needed a moment to clear her thoughts. She sneaked a quick peek over her shoulder. The tingly feeling swirled again. Nope, she couldn’t think logically looking at him.

  Thankfully, a buck with antlers the size of a small tree faced her. “Did you shoot this one, too?” She could feel Nick move closer and sucked in a breath. His arm brushed her shoulder as he neared. She had to remind herself to breathe. But when she did, his unfortunately now-familiar scent clouded her thoughts.

  “My grandfather shot that one. He bought this land in the early 1900s. That’s why this town is called Huntersville. He built this cabin by himself.” His shoulder pressed into her arm.

  Lani forced herself to focus on Nick’s story and took a step to the side—away from his touch. “Oh my. All by himself?”

  Nick chuckled. “That was the rumor, but I’d guess he had some help. Of course, the place has been modernized in recent years.”

  “Is that his picture with your parents?”

  “That’s him.” Nick nodded toward the table where a few framed photographs stood.

  She wasn’t surprised that someone like him would only have a few pictures around. Lani looked over the large living room. The huge ceiling beams and log walls gave the place a truly rustic appearance. The stone fireplace ran from floor to ceiling. Tucked in the corner was a round, wrought iron staircase. “Where do the stairs go?”

  “A library.”

  “May I see it?”

  Nick hesitated. Barely took a breath as if frozen in time.

  She didn’t want to pry if the area was off limits, but she couldn’t help but be curious. She was about to say never mind when he motioned toward the steps.

  Lani made her way around the narrow staircase with Nick following behind. With only enough room for one person at a time, she would have preferred he went first. She could feel him watching her as she made her way up. Surprisingly, her muscles didn’t turn to Jell-O, and she managed to walk, even if she did clutch the banister all the way to the top. At the landing, she stopped.

  Like a library from the early 1900s, dark cherry wood shelves covered the walls from floor to ceiling. A moveable brass ladder on wheels, for climbing to get books from the top shelf, sat along one wall. In the back was an octagonal, beveled glass window. Her gaze ran over the spines of leather-bound books. “This is beautiful. Are most of these books old?”

  Nick eased past her and lifted a book that had been lying face down on the table. “My grandfather started this library when he built the place. I just add to it.” He held his finger in the book so as not to lose his place, but with his other fingers, he tapped on the book’s cover.

  Lani could see he held Shakespeare’s Othello. By the look of the worn rocker and the pile of cigarette butts in the nearby ashtray, she guessed Nick spent a lot of time up here reading. Who would have guessed? He certainly didn’t come across as someone who liked to read, especially the classics. He seemed more the spy-thriller type. Obviously, you couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

  “Look, Cabot, I’m beat. I need to get some sleep.” He shoved the book back on the table and headed toward the stairs.

  Lani would have loved to stay and see what else Nick Hunter liked to read, but his abrupt behavior gave her the impression she was invading his private space, so she headed down the stairs. “I should get some sleep, too, before the girls wake.”

  On her way to her room, Lani checked on Ana. Her breathing sounded fine, and her coloring looked a healthy pink. In the hallway she hesitated, wanting to check on Alexa, but she was still in Nick’s room. Hovering near the door, she tried to listen for her daughter’s soft snoring.

  The door swung open, and Nick leaned out.

  Lani froze, heart beating quickly.

  “What now, Cabot?”

  “Oh!” She leaned back. “I…was…well, I wanted to see—”

  “Alexa’s fine. Go to sleep.”

  The door closed.

  Lani stood in a huff. The man was infuriating. How had he known she was out there? Oh God, hopefully he didn’t think she was trying to see him! She replayed the scene in her mind to picture Nick’s face. Was that a smirk? Her thoughts garbled in anger. She yanked open her bedroom door and went inside to go to sleep.

  ****

  Lani turned over in bed to avoid the bright light, but it didn’t help. Sunbeams found their way to the other side of the room. Her stomach growled from hunger. Lifting one eyelid, she peeked at the clock. Nine! Thinking of Nick, she’d slept fitfully the previous night. She jumped up and threw on her navy leggings and beige sweater. The girls must be starving. After a quick stop to brush her teeth, she headed down the hallway. Hurrying into Ana’s room, she found her daughter sitting in her crib
playing with her teddy bear. “Morning, baby. How’s my girl today?”

  Ana gave her a giggle.

  Lani’s heart flipped. Her daughter seemed fine. Lifting her up, she whispered, “Mommy’s so glad you are better.” She kissed her forehead. Thank God, the baby’s skin felt cool. “Let’s go find your sister, and then I’ll change you.”

  Alexa was not in her temporary crib. Worrying the baby had crawled out, Lani’s heart started to race as her gaze scanned the room. But in the living room, she found her happily lifting blocks in the playpen as if looking for something underneath.

  “Hi, Lexi. Are you having fun?” Alexa gave her a smile that warmed Lani’s heart, but continued on with her play. Seeing she was content and safe made tears pool in Lani’s eyes. The baby was no longer screaming for attention. Seemed the more she was cared for and loved, the better adjusted she became. Lani wiped at her eyes then took Ana to change her diaper.

  In the drawer, her neat piles of the girls’ clothing looked as if a tornado had spun through. Well, at least Nick had changed their clothes while she was sick. She’d fix the damage later. She reached into the second drawer for a diaper. The side where she’d stacked them was empty.

  “Oh shoot!” Running out of diapers was inevitable, but since she was sick, she hadn’t seen how low the supply had been getting. The only thing in the drawer was a pile of white squares of material, like sheets. Lani put down Ana on the bed. When she undid her sleeper, she found a plastic bag taped around her and beneath it, a similar looking piece of sheet. She smiled to herself and shook her head. She knew Nick Hunter would not want her to comment about this!

  What would she have used? She had no idea. How the heck did someone without kids think of these things? Maybe he’d had younger brothers or sisters. He had a natural ability for taking care of children. What a shame he didn’t have any, he’d make a great father—even if he made her feel incompetent.

  In the kitchen, she thankfully watched Ana eating cooked oatmeal while she enjoyed a bowl full herself. She couldn’t help looking toward the door for Nick to enter and foolishly made an excuse to the baby as she got up and looked out the window. Nick was nowhere around. Curiosity began to have her think of him, but she nipped it in the unwanted bud. After cleaning the dishes, she put Ana in the playpen with Alexa.