Lucky in Love

by Kelly Elliott

  I laughed. “First names now?”

  She glared at me.

  With a sigh, I went on. “That’s a pretty expensive way of fixing up your daughter, don’t you think? And why would she do that?”

  She waved her hands in the air and let out a dramatic sigh. “God, you have no idea how my mother is. I’m recently out of a disastrous marriage. The last thing I’m looking for is to get involved. Especially with…um…a guy like you.”

  That caused me to jerk my head back in surprise. “A guy like me? I’m trying not to take offense to that, Ms. Night.”

  Saryn chewed on her lip as she looked down at her daughter who was stacking up blocks.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way, but let’s be honest here, shall we,” she said. “You’re a player.”

  My eyes widened. “I am?”

  “Yes. You’re not the type of man I want in my daughter’s life.”

  I leaned back against the swing set. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone judge me like that before. You know nothing about me, Ms. Night.”

  “Saryn, please.”

  “Fine, Saryn. I haven’t seen you in…how many years? You followed that dickhead of a husband of yours straight out of town and never looked back.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she glared at me.

  “I take pride in my work and believe me when I say that your mother isn’t the first client who has tried to set me up with her daughter. Trust me, I’m not the least bit interested in you either.”

  My fists clenched as I said the lie, hoping like hell she believed it.

  “As far as your comment about me being a player, I’m not. My number-one love in my life is my job. I live, eat, and breathe it. My goal is to make little kids—like your daughter—happy and safe with a playhouse they can use for years to come. So, we can do this two ways. We either work together, knowing that neither of us is interested in the other, and we ignore your mother’s misguided intentions. Or, I work directly through your mother and you and I don’t have any contact. I don’t think that’s a very good idea, since this is for your daughter. But I’ll let you decide how you’d like to proceed.”

  “Wait, just hold on one second,” Saryn said, her hands held up to stop me from walking to the other side of the room to put my socks and boots back on. “No matter what I say, you’re not going to walk away from this job?”

  “No. I’m not. Your mother signed the contract, I’ve already worked the project into my calendar, and I’ve purchased items for the playhouse. I’m financially invested in it now.”

  Her gaze grew hot, and holy hell did that make my body hum with desire.

  “You’ve already bought things? I haven’t signed off on the design!”

  I walked over to my desk, looked for the file, and opened it. I pulled out a slip of paper and held it up for her to see.

  “Your mother has. I’m guessing she didn’t inform you of that either.”

  The steam was practically oozing out of Saryn’s body. “She didn’t!”

  “Well, as far as I knew, everything was a go. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to do. I’ll be in touch with your mother about the interior of the playhouse in the next week or so.”

  Saryn buried her face in her hands and groaned. The sounds vibrated straight to my cock. I had to look away from her. The moment I saw Liliana, I got my wits about me. I couldn’t be thinking about her mother like that when she was in the room. What kind of asshole does that?

  “This is not happening, Mr. Carter,” Saryn said, her voice muffled by her hands.

  I sat on the sofa on the other side of my office and slipped on my socks. When I tried to put the boot on over my sore ankle, I winced.

  “Have you iced it, Truitt?” she asked.

  “We’re back to first names again?”

  It came out harsher than I intended, and I watched as embarrassment washed over her face.

  She sighed and sat in the chair across from me. Liliana was now playing with her bear on the table between us.

  “I’m sorry I came in here acting like I did. I didn’t mean the things I said. I’m sure you do amazing work; I was upset that my mother was meddling in my life. I took it out on you, and for that I’m sorry.”

  I nodded. “It’s alright. I’m sorry your mother wasn’t up front with you.”

  She smiled. “Don’t force the boot on, you’ll only make it worse. Have you iced and elevated it today?”

  With a shake of my head, I replied, “No. I haven’t.”

  Saryn stood. “Do you happen to have ice or an ice pack?”

  I tilted my head. “Are you trying to nurse me, Ms. Night?”

  “Yes I am. It’s a habit.”

  Pointing past her, I said, “The small refrigerator has an ice pack in it. A few, actually. Ms. Townsend insists I keep them on hand.”

  A slight smile tugged at her mouth before she turned and walked over to it. She took out the ice pack and made her way back to me.

  “May I use this?” she asked, pointing to the small towel I had used to dry off my hair.

  “Sure.”

  She wrapped the ice pack with the towel, then pulled the table closer to me, grabbed a pillow, and motioned for me to put my foot on it. I did as she asked, keeping my gaze locked on her every move. She was stunningly beautiful.

  “You really need to do this a few times a day. It will help with the swelling and the pain.”

  A strange tightness hit me in the middle of the chest. I replied with the only word I could manage. “Okay.”

  “How did you hurt it?” she asked as she sat down on the table and held the ice pack in place. She didn’t need to: it could rest on top of my ankle easily, but I liked that she was still holding it. Liliana was now walking her bear up and down Saryn’s body as she played make-believe and babbled. Most of what she said I couldn’t even make out, but it was cute as hell.

  “Would you believe me if I said a woman pushed a ladder and caused me to fall?”

  She laughed. “Did you sleep with her and never call her back?”

  It was my turn to chuckle. “No. She and her husband were arguing, and she pushed off the ladder I was climbing down on. I’m telling you, the woman had the strength of ten men. The ladder went over with me on it. I tried to jump, but my one foot caught on a rock and twisted my ankle. I knew it was just twisted, but my brother has a bet going with a few friends, hence the visit to the ER.”

  Her brow rose. “What kind of bet?”

  “It’s a pool, really. They all bet on different things. How many times in that quarter I’ll get hurt, head to the ER, break a bone…you get the picture.”

  When her hand came up to hide her smile, I laughed. “It’s okay, you can laugh. I’ve been blessed with a string of unfortunate events since I could remember.”

  “You think that’s a blessing? To be accident prone?”

  I chuckled. “No, but I’m a positive person, so I try to look at it that way.”

  She looked down at her daughter, then back to me. “I have a confession to make, Truitt.”

  I raised my brows.

  “I read your medical file. I have to admit, the penile fracture made me laugh.”

  I rolled my eyes, dropped my head back, and let out a frustrated groan. “I need that stricken from my medical record.”

  “Would it be wrong of me to get in on this pool?” she asked.

  My head jerked back up only to find her giving me the most breathtaking smile I’d ever seen in my life. Something inside me stirred with a longing I’d never experienced before.

  “Yes. It would!” I said, tossing the pillow that was next to me, hitting her right square in the face, causing us both to laugh.

  “Ohh, no! Momma get mad!” Liliana stated, her little hand on her hip as she gave me a look that would put any my mother used to give me to shame. It was obvious, she was her mother’s mini.

  “I’m so sorry, Liliana. Your momma had it coming.”
<
br />   When my eyes met Saryn’s, our gazes locked for a few brief moments. A flush slowly crept up her neck, then filled her cheeks. I wanted to know what in the hell she was thinking that made her blush like that. And what I could do to make it happen again. I couldn’t help but wonder if she remembered that day on her front porch. The day she told me she was dating Tim.

  “You’re blushing,” I said.

  Her hands went to her cheeks. “I’m hot, that’s all.”

  I smiled and she rewarded me with another stomach-dropping grin. I felt like I’d just been dropped out of the sky and was free falling. I hadn’t felt like this in years.

  Maybe I just didn’t want to admit that the last time I felt this way was when Saryn came to Boerne for a visit a few years ago. Just the sight of her had made me weak in the knees. I’d hated that she belonged to another man.

  The need to touch her swept over me so fiercely I had to force myself to look away and then clear my throat. I felt like I was that awkward boy in middle school who was afraid his voice would pitch up the moment he talked to the girl he liked.

  “So, since you’re here and holding ice on my ankle, let’s talk about the inside of Liliana’s playhouse.”

  Her tongue came out quickly and wet her and I had to fight to keep myself in check. Jesus, this woman was going to drive me insane. In that moment, Liliana crawled up onto the loveseat and sat right next to me. All thoughts of playtime with her mommy vanished. She took my arm and with her free hand, pointed to my ankle.

  “Ouchy. S’okay, Momma make it better.”

  I stared at the little girl with the striking blue eyes as she gazed up at me with a smile so innocent I was left speechless. No woman had ever won my heart before, and Liliana could now claim to have taken it straight from me without so much as a blink of her eyes.

  Dear God, I am in so much trouble.

  Saryn

  MY HEART RACED in my chest as I watched my daughter stare up at Truitt like he was her Prince Charming. I knew how she felt. The moment I had walked into his office and seen him standing there, dressed in nothing but his boxer briefs, my knees had nearly buckled out from under me.

  This Truitt was so different from the one I had known when we were younger. I’d seen him play football, watched him run around the track on Saturday mornings, and stole glances of him at parties. He’d been the hot cowboy every girl in high school wanted, and it seemed things hadn’t changed. The few nurses I had spoke with after he left the ER had commented on how Truitt was the one cowboy in town every single woman wanted to snag. He had the looks. He had the money, and from what I could tell, he had the charm. He’d always been charming, though. Even to me, one of his best friend’s annoying little sister.

  Truitt cleared his throat and looked from Liliana to me. “It already feels better.”

  Good Lord, why was his gaze so hot? Why was my lower stomach pulling with want?

  Nope. No. Forget it. Not happening. Get it out of your head right now, Saryn.

  “Liliana, tell me some of your favorite things to do,” Truitt said, focusing back on her. I pulled my gaze from him and put it back on Liliana.

  “Dwess up.”

  “Dress up, okay, like princess-type dress up?”

  She nodded.

  “What else?”

  “Wead.”

  He looked at me. “Read?”

  “Yes, she loves reading.”

  “Okay, so maybe a little reading nook.”

  My heart stuttered. Was he really attempting to find out what interested my three-year-old daughter by asking her? Why was that so refreshing? Her own father could not have cared less most of the time.

  “What else do you like?”

  She smiled. “Twirling!”

  Truitt looked amused as he turned his attention to me. “Define that one, Mom.”

  I laughed. “She’s in dance, and ballet is one of her favorites. And tap.”

  “Well, who wouldn’t love tap.”

  “Right?” I said, feeling my cheeks ache. I realized I was smiling like a silly fool.

  “Do you like to look at the stars, Liliana?”

  She nodded.

  “What’s your favorite color, pink?”

  Liliana scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “Gwoss.”

  “Gross?” Truitt gasped. “What color do you like, then?”

  “Lellow!” Liliana declared.

  Truitt rubbed at his chin and reflected on her answer. “Yellow. That’s a fine color, I think I can work with that.”

  When he swung his gaze over to me, I couldn’t keep myself from looking at his lips. Why my attention focused there was beyond me. I quickly corrected myself and sat up a bit straighter. “Do you do all of your research like this?”

  He laughed. “I do like to meet with the kids. They’re the ones who usually give us ideas for what’s best for the playhouses.”

  I tilted my head and regarded him for a moment. “I like that you make them feel like they’re a part of this process.”

  “They are, as far as I’m concerned. The parents may be the ones paying me to build it, but the playhouse is for the kids. They’re the ones I want to make happy with it.”

  I nodded. “The drawing had a swing, can you also add monkey bars?”

  He lifted one of his brows. “Are you on board for this playhouse now?”

  With a roll of my eyes, I nodded. “I guess I have no choice. But, like I said earlier, can we maybe scale it back just a tad?”

  And there it was again. His smile. Big, bright, full of excitement, with a dimple that made my knees weak.

  “Two turrets instead of three, then. I have ideas for both.”

  “Okay, what are they?”

  “One tower could be her dress-up room. Where she can change into whatever she’s feeling like that day. A princess, a superhero, a ballerina. The second tower I think should hold an art area, or maybe a little bedroom.”

  That made me take even more notice. “An art area?”

  He winked. “Well, if she’s anything like her mother, she probably likes to draw and paint.”

  I sat there, stunned. “How did you know I like to paint?”

  Truitt shrugged. “I remembered from high school. Ryan mentioned it a time or two, and it must have stuck in my memory.”

  Staring at him, I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Finally, I got my wits about me. “Ryan was always supportive of my painting.”

  Truitt nodded, then rubbed the back of his neck and looked around his office. He suddenly seemed nervous.

  “We’ve probably taken up too much of your time,” I said. “I’m glad we’re able to…um…get this all…you know.”

  He shook his head. Damn him.

  “Well, since I can’t fire you.”

  The way his mouth twitched with a hidden smile made my insides heat. Good Lord, I really needed a night out.

  “No, you can’t,” he said.

  “Yes, and because of that, I’m glad we were able to put our differences aside and make this work. For Liliana’s sake. Purely.”

  “Of course,” he said, a hint of something like seduction lacing his voice.

  Nonsense, Saryn. You need to leave this office and now.

  “Liliana, come on, sweetheart, we need to let Mr. Carter get back to work.”

  My daughter jumped up from playing on the floor and rushed over to Truitt. He instinctively bent down and she threw her arms around his neck. I nearly gasped at her show of affection.

  “Tank you for letting me pway! See you later!” Liliana said, giving Truitt a hug and then coming back over to me. I wasn’t sure who was more shocked.

  Me…or Truitt.

  Two weeks had passed since I’d walked out of Truitt’s office. As much as I didn’t want to think about the man, I seemed to always be thinking about him. Damn my mother.

  With a sigh, I wrote my notes in a file and closed it. I was exhausted and ready to go home.

  “Saryn, a few of
us are going out tonight…want to join us?” Lucy asked.

  God, a night out sounded like the perfect thing. What I really needed was a mindless hook up. Not full-on sex, but it would be so nice to feel my body against a man’s. A little innocent flirting and a bit of male attention were very much needed. Maybe it would even break the spell Truitt seemed to have placed on me all over again.

  “Who all is going?” I asked.

  Lucy smiled. “Just a bunch of nurses. Linda, who works up in L & D will be there. You might want to get on her good side. She has some pretty big pull with who they hire up there.”

  That caught my attention. Not that I hated working in the ER, I had just done it enough in the beginning of my career, and my heart was with the babies.

  “Where are y’all going?” I asked.

  “Bricks Dance Hall. A local band is playing tonight and they’re really good. Mostly do cover songs, but it makes for a fun night.”

  I chewed on my lip, thinking it over. Lucy had been so nice to me since I’d started. My best friend from high school, Linnzi, didn’t live in Boerne anymore. I missed her terribly and made a note to myself to go visit her parents and see how they were doing.

  “Saryn, give yourself a night out. Let loose and have some fun. Besides, there are always some good-looking cowboys who are more than willing to spin you around the dance floor.”

  With a smile, I said, “Okay. I need to make sure I can find someone to watch Liliana, and I’ll meet y’all there?”

  Lucy gave me a triumphant smile. “Don’t even think about going home and taking your bra off, crawling into comfy clothes, and texting that you’re not coming.”

  I laughed. “I promise, I really do need the night out.”

  With a beaming smile, Lucy waved her fingers at me. “See you soon!”

  As promised, I went home, arranged for Liliana to stay with my folks, put on a pair of my favorite Wrangler jeans and a cute shirt that probably showed too much cleavage, and slipped on my favorite pair of boots.

  When I opened the door, I let out a yelp. “Ryan! You scared the crap out of me.”

  He grinned. “Our mother called to inform me you were going out.”