Harlequin Romance September 2013 Bundle: Bound by a BabyIn the Line of DutyPatchwork Family in the OutbackStranded with the Tycoon

by Kate Hardy

  Poppy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly released it.

  Chris in bed with her friend, her bank account at zero, credit card maxed out, her home up for mortgagee sale.

  They were all thoughts she’d pushed away, refused to dwell on, but the memories were still there. Still so fresh and raw and painful when she let herself remember, still capable of sending a shivering shudder through her entire body.

  Poppy opened her eyes and forced a smile. This could be what she’d been waiting for, the final piece of the puzzle she needed in order to move on with her life and leave those memories behind. Forever.

  She was divorced.

  She scanned the document over and over again, reading the words, studying the signatures.

  She was divorced! She’d asked for a speedy dissolution of their marriage and it had actually gone through!

  “Lucky, it’s happened!” She jumped up and grabbed the cat, dancing around the room with him. “It’s finally happened!”

  The cat looked beyond alarmed, going rigid, but she didn’t put him down. Because right now she needed a warm body pressed tightly to hers, needed someone to share the moment with. And if a cat was all she had, then a cat would do.

  “Wine, that’s what we need,” she announced, heading for the fridge. “I want wine and I want it now.”

  Tonight she was going to celebrate. She wasn’t going to think about her ex-husband, and she wasn’t going to think about Harrison. All she needed to think about tonight was herself and what it meant to have a real fresh start, to forget she’d ever been married and just enjoy being Poppy Carter. Thank goodness she’d never changed her name.

  Poppy unscrewed the bottle, poured herself a big glass and made for the living room. A night of wine, ice cream and Sex and the City was what she needed. Because after all this time, she was finally free.

  And being alone had never felt so good.

  * * *

  Poppy held up the wine bottle and found it empty. She slumped back on the sofa and stared at her glass. Also empty.

  She was starting to think that being alone wasn’t so great, and seeing Big leave Carrie at the altar hadn’t exactly made her feel great about herself. Unless she counted the cat curled up beside her.

  A loud knock made the cat jump even higher than she did. Who the heck would be banging on her door at this time of the night? She stood and held on to the back of the sofa to gain her balance, not used to drinking so much alcohol. She usually stopped after her second glass, no matter what or where she was drinking.

  Poppy headed to the kitchen first, grabbing a fry pan, then leaned against the wall as she walked to the door. The person knocked again, making her heart beat even faster. Who would hear her scream if she needed help?

  She held the handle of the pan tighter, wishing she hadn’t drunk so much.

  “Who is it?” she called, her voice unsteady.

  “Harrison.”

  Oh, dear. He was the last person she needed to see, but at least she knew he wasn’t here to burgle her house or murder her.

  “Just a minute.” Poppy looked at herself in the hall mirror and almost burst into tears. Her hair was a mess, her mascara had smudged and she was dressed in a baggy sweater and ugly sweatpants.

  She tugged her hair down and smoothed it, pulling it up into a more respectable ponytail.

  “Poppy?”

  She flicked the lock on the door and slowly opened it. “Hi.”

  Harrison stood in the half-light cast by the old cobweb-covered bulb hanging at the front door. His hair was messy, as if he’d been worrying it with his fingers, but his eyes were bright. They locked on hers the moment she looked at him.

  “Coming here seemed like a really good idea when I left home,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Now I’m starting to think I should have called first.”

  Poppy kept her hand against the door frame, steadying her body. “Are the children okay?”

  He nodded. “Fine. They’re asleep in the truck.”

  “Harrison, I need to tell you something—”

  He interrupted her. “Me, too,” he said. “Any chance I can go first?”

  She held on tighter to the door, the lightness in her head making her wonder if she was actually going to be able to stand and listen to him. “Ah, sure.”

  “It’s just, well, I’ve had some time to think, and I feel like crap for the way I spoke to you earlier.”

  Poppy sucked her lip back between her teeth and stared at him. He wasn’t exactly hard to look at, and she wasn’t used to men apologizing to her.

  “You were right about me being too scared to move on, that I needed to protect myself less and just, well, you know, you said the words.”

  “It’s fine, Harrison. I know you’ve had a rough time, and you’re a great dad.”

  “But that’s just it, Poppy.”

  He stepped forward, into her space, his body too close to hers for comfort, or maybe just close enough. Harrison touched her cheek with such tenderness, such surprising softness, that she didn’t know where to look or what to say. What he expected, if he expected anything at all.

  “I don’t just want to be a dad. I want to remember what it’s like to be a man, too.”

  Shivers ran up and down her body, curling down her spine and across her belly. Was he talking about her, about last night, or had the wine just gone to her head?

  “Harrison...”

  He put his fingers over her mouth and the words died on her lips. “Let me finish,” he whispered.

  Poppy nodded. She wasn’t capable of anything else, especially not with his hands on her, his body way too near.

  “I want you, Poppy. I’m scared as hell, and I’ve driven all the way here in the dark because I needed to tell you,” he said, his voice so low she had to tilt her face up to hear him. “I don’t want to think about the past or pretend like I know anything about you other than what you’ve shown me to be true. I just want you.”

  He started to swim in front of her as if he was swaying, and she had to grip the timber frame harder.

  “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “I shouldn’t have come here. I just, hell, I don’t know what’s happened to me, Poppy, but I can’t stop thinking about you and I needed to tell you what was going on in my head.”

  “Harrison?”

  He raised an eyebrow in question.

  “It’s not that I don’t feel the same, but...”

  “Was it something important you wanted to tell me? Sorry, Poppy, I just started talking and I couldn’t stop. Do you have someone here?” He peered around her, as if he expected to find a visitor in the house.

  “Two things, actually,” she mumbled. “But no, no one’s here except for me and Lucky.”

  He was waiting, silent as he watched her.

  “I’m officially divorced,” she announced, warmth touching her body as she said the words. “The papers arrived while I was at your place. I collected them earlier.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?” he asked, a cautious look on his face.

  “Yep, it’s brilliant.”

  “What’s the second thing?”

  She laughed, unable to help herself. “I think I’m drunk.”

  * * *

  Harrison checked the kids before jogging back to the house and taking Poppy’s hand.

  “Still sound asleep,” he told her.

  Poppy linked their fingers, but he pulled away in favor of wrapping an arm around her to steady her. She was a little wobbly on her feet.

  “Do you want to carry them in?” she asked.

  “No.” Harrison steered her in the direction of her bedroom. “I’m going to put you to bed, then I’m get
ting straight back in that truck and driving back to the ranch.”

  If the water level hadn’t retreated so fast he’d never have been able to visit her, and he didn’t want an excuse to stay. Besides, he didn’t trust himself around Poppy, and he didn’t want to take advantage of an intoxicated woman.

  He held her hand as she sat down on the bed, then bent to kiss her on the forehead, lips staying against her skin longer than he’d intended. But the truth was she smelled so good, felt so good, and moving away from her wasn’t something that came naturally to him. No matter how much he’d tried to fight it before now.

  “Did you mean what you said before?” she murmured.

  Harrison knelt down on the floor in front of her, taking her hands from beside her and placing them on her lap, clasped in his. “Every word, Poppy. And if you don’t remember them in the morning, I’m going to tell you all over again.”

  She was blushing, a warm red stain making its way up her neck and across her cheeks.

  “I think I was a bit hard on you today,” she said. “I mean, I was so annoyed with my ex, and when I got the divorce papers I wondered if maybe I was angry at you because I didn’t want to be angry at him. So I didn’t have to think about the past.” She sighed. “I know, that doesn’t even make sense, does it?”

  He leaned forward, arms on her legs to steady himself. Harrison kissed her gently, softly touching his lips to hers. “I think we both need to forget about our pasts. Why hold on to something that could ruin everything in our future?”

  He’d never found it easy to talk, especially about his feelings, but Poppy had done something to him. Had made him want to talk just to see the smile on her face.

  “Does that mean we have a future?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  “Tomorrow,” he said, kissing her one last time before standing up. “Our future starts tomorrow.”

  She smiled, lay back and pulled the covers up, snuggling beneath the quilt, eyes closing as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  “I’ll lock the door on my way out,” he told her, bending one more time to touch her face, pressing his fingers against her cheek and then her hair before pulling the covers up a little higher.

  Harrison made himself walk out. Reminded himself that his kids were in the car. Because it would have been way too easy to lie beside Poppy and hold her, sleep beside her all night.

  But he couldn’t. Because if what he’d just told her was true, their future wasn’t starting until tomorrow.

  So he’d just have to wait until then.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  POPPY SMILED AT the children as they laughed at her. She was reading aloud, the smaller kids tucked close to her feet, the older ones lying or sitting on the floor.

  A tap at the door made her look up, book fallen to her lap. The door wasn’t closed—she rarely pulled it shut—so she could see exactly who was waiting there. Harrison.

  She’d wondered when she’d see him again, had been disappointed when he’d dropped Katie and Alex off and left in such a hurry earlier before she’d had time to say anything. To apologize for being tipsy when he’d visited; to try to figure out if she’d misheard him or if he’d meant it when he’d—

  “Daddy!” Katie jumped up and ran to her father, giving him a hug around the legs before scooting back to her spot on the floor.

  Poppy stood and held the book tightly in one hand, the other anxiously smoothing her hair back. “Hi.”

  He was standing in her classroom, or almost in it, as if waiting to be invited to enter.

  “Sorry to interrupt, kids, but I need to talk to Ms. Carter.”

  She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. When he said it all official like that... Poppy put the book on her desk and walked toward Harrison.

  “I won’t be a moment,” he added.

  She had no idea why he was here, but she wasn’t going to tell him to come back later. She needed to hear what he had to say.

  The smile he gave her was so genuine, so full of happiness that it took over his face, made his eyes crinkle at the corners and his dark brown irises even darker.

  She grinned back, trying to stay nonchalant and failing. The butterflies fluttering in her stomach, as if caged and ready for release, wouldn’t let her do anything different.

  Harrison took his hand from behind his back and held out a bunch of flowers—wildflowers in bright purples and pinks. “I would have brought you roses, but it’s a long drive to Sydney and back.”

  She laughed; it was impossible to do anything else. “You didn’t steal these from anyone’s garden for me, did you?” Poppy took them and dipped her nose into them, holding the modest bunch as if they were the most beautiful flowers she’d ever been given. And in a way, they were.

  “I’ll have you know I picked these myself, from my own garden, for you,” he said in almost a whisper.

  Poppy knew the children were listening, their ears all flapping like an elephant’s, so keeping her voice low wasn’t going to keep their conversation private. But talking quietly, intimately, felt right.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Nothing makes a girl feel more special than flowers.”

  Harrison stepped into her space, touched his fingers to her elbow in a caress that seemed more intimate than any she’d ever experienced before. It was as if a magnet was drawing them together, refusing to let them part until what needed to be said was said.

  “Do you remember what I said last night?” he asked.

  Poppy nodded. “I had a feeling it was a dream, but...”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It wasn’t a dream, Poppy. I meant every word, and I can honestly admit I’ve never felt the need to say something so badly that I’ve had to bundle my kids in a vehicle and drive in the dark because it couldn’t wait until morning.”

  She held her breath, not wanting to believe the words he was saying. She’d been so deeply hurt by a man only months before, had felt so damaged and used at the time that she’d thought trusting another human being would be impossible for her. But Harrison... Right now she knew in her heart that she could trust him with her life.

  Because Harrison was a protector, a man who would risk his life willingly to save those he loved. Would do anything for his children to make them happy, no matter what the sacrifice.

  Her ex-husband... He’d been a taker, only she hadn’t realized it until the bitter end.

  “What does this mean?” she asked, not wanting to believe what Harrison was hinting at until he spelled it out.

  “What it means,” he said, inching closer and taking her face into both of his hands, “is that I want to start a new chapter of my life. I want to trust again, and I want to love again.”

  Poppy swallowed, staring into his eyes, waiting for the words.

  “And Poppy?” he whispered.

  She nodded, hardly able to breathe.

  “I want that person to be you.”

  She silently let out the breath she’d been holding, scared beyond belief, but happy, too. Exhilarated by his words.

  “Are you sure we’re ready?” she asked.

  “All we can do is try,” he said, his fingers brushing her skin while his palms rested against her cheeks. “I don’t want to look back and wish I’d taken a chance with you, and know that the only reason I didn’t was because I was scared.”

  “Okay,” she murmured, nodding. “Okay.”

  “Yeah?” Harrison asked, his own voice a low whisper.

  “Yeah,” she whispered back, leaning into him as he bent down to her, mouth covering hers in such a gentle kiss she could feel only warmth as his lips brushed hers.

  Poppy let him hold her, one arm tucking around her waist and drawing her in, the other still soft against her face.

  A burst of giggles and l
aughter made her break the kiss, but she couldn’t bring herself to step from the circle of Harrison’s arms.

  “I think we have an audience,” she told him, pressing her forehead to his for a moment before facing her pupils.

  “Show’s over, kids,” Harrison said, blowing his daughter a kiss and giving his son a thumbs-up. “I’ll come back for Ms. Carter after school.”

  She watched him go, laughed when he winked over his shoulder at her then picked up the book she’d been reading and settled back into her chair.

  “Where were we?” she murmured, finding her place.

  She had their attention on the story again, but hers was wavering. Because even as she started to read, trying to focus on each word on the page, all she could think about was Harrison. The man who’d just changed her world, her future, and was making her stomach flip as it hadn’t in years.

  * * *

  Harrison stood outside the school, leaning on the bed of his truck, hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. He glanced at his watch. It was right on three o’clock, which meant he had a few minutes to wait before he knew how Poppy really felt about what he’d said.

  And he’d never been more scared in his life.

  Opening up to someone—putting everything on the line when he’d spent so long protecting himself and creating a safe little world for Katie and Alex—was terrifying. But he couldn’t shield his kids all their lives. After talking to his mom, thinking about what Poppy had said...it had made him question everything.

  Just because one woman, one cruel, heartless woman, had left them, didn’t mean he had a right to punish everyone around him. Especially someone like Poppy.

  He looked up as children’s laughter and chatter filled the air around him. Poppy was walking behind them, like a mother duck herding her babies, and he stood dead still, didn’t take his eyes from her. Her hair was loose and hanging down her back, her slender arms folded across her chest.

  Parents were arriving, some walking and some by car, but Harrison didn’t move. He wanted to watch the woman who had changed everything about his life, who’d made him change the way he thought and the way he wanted his future to be.