“That’s up to Mrs. Walsh,” he said, meeting her gaze.
Looking into his blue eyes, Abby suddenly knew what it would feel like if fire sucked all the oxygen from the air. “It’s fine with me.”
“Okay, let’s go eat,” the oldest sibling said to the other two.
When they’d gone, Abby looked at her daughter. “Kimmie, you need to go inside and wash up.”
“But I’m not eatin’ yet. My dinner’s not done. Can Riley stay?”
She looked at him. “Help me out here,” she pleaded.
He looked down at the little girl. “I need to talk to your mom for a few minutes. Then we’ll see about dinner.”
“Okay.” Kim raced into the house through the open garage door.
Suddenly they were alone, and Abby didn’t know what to say. He was so close she could feel the heat from his body as his breath stirred her hair. How she wanted to lean into his strength, but she didn’t dare. She decided to say the obvious. “What are you doing here? What’s with the tent?”
“It’s about survival,” he said.
“What about it? Although I have to say I’m all in favor of it.”
“Me, too.”
“But, Riley, I thought I made myself clear—”
“Crystal,” he interrupted. “Which is why I brought the tent.”
She shook her head. “You lost me.”
“I hope that’s not true,” he said. His expression grew intense and became the one he assumed when he was on a mission and failure wasn’t an option.
“When you skipped Kimmie’s badge ceremony, you sent a clear message.”
“Yeah. That I’m an idiot.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m here to get the message straight.”
“By setting up the tent?”
“Today you said when camping was finished, so were we. That’s unacceptable so I set up camp on your doorstep.”
Abby could hardly breathe, what with the hope that expanded inside her like a helium balloon. “But, I don’t understand—”
“It’s about survival,” he said again. “I’m prepared to camp out here indefinitely because I don’t want us to be finished. I can’t survive without you.”
“Oh, Riley—” Her throat closed with emotion.
He curled his fingers around her upper arms and stared into her eyes. “There’s a saying in the military. It’s a motto that men in combat live by. Leave no man behind. That includes women and children, too.”
Abby didn’t say anything. She couldn’t since emotion closed her throat.
“I’m completely defenseless,” he said. “You and your six-year-old secret weapon have taken over my heart.” He waited several moments, then frowned. “Say something, Abby.”
She wanted so badly to believe what he was telling her. Sincerity was written all over his face. But how could it not be? He was one of the good guys who took responsibility for the whole world. The same one who so badly wanted a family to belong to.
“How do I know Kimmie and I aren’t substitutes for the family you lost?” she finally managed to ask.
He let out a long breath as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what I can say to convince you. Except these days, there are lots of single moms looking for a man.”
Abby knew this firsthand. Many of her high school students came from single-parent homes. “What’s your point?”
“If I wanted a substitute, there are lots to choose from and anyone would do. But you’re not just anyone, Abby. You’re—everything.”
“Oh, Riley—” The lump in her throat choked off the words.
“You’re right about the fact that I want a family. I found out how much when I lost mine. But you made me realize that love is the glue that keeps families together. It’s the foundation everything is built on. I didn’t have that the first time, and I’d rather be alone than botch things up again. In fact, I didn’t even want to try, because I was afraid of making another mistake. But from the very first time I saw you, in my gut I knew that you were different and I was in trouble.”
How could she resist that? As she’d said, he was the kind of man who made a girl want to try again. Finally, her heart and her head were in sync and sending a clear message all the way to her soul. Riley Dixon wasn’t a chance; he was a sure thing.
“Really?” she asked.
“Really.” The corners of his mouth curved up in a smile as he pulled her to him. “I love you, Abigail Walsh.”
“Them’s fightin’ words.”
He leaned back to look in her eyes. “What?”
“Never call me that. Abby will do.”
“Abby will do nicely.”
“I love you, too, Riley Dixon.” She met his gaze and sighed. The worry and stress and pain and loneliness slipped away. “The two of us are a piece of work, you know?”
“Why’s that?”
“We’ve been so busy protecting ourselves and everyone else, we forgot to simply love each other.”
“Protection is what soldiers do. And I plan to protect you and Kimmie for as long as I live. But I won’t forget to love both of you with all my heart.”
“And how do I know you mean that, soldier?”
“Because I intend to marry you.”
“Is that an order?”
“It could be. But I’d rather have a willing volunteer,” he said.
“Ready, willing and so very able.”
He smiled, then dipped his head and touched his lips to hers. As he took her weight against him, Abby savored his strength and the sensation of support. She was going to love leaning on him. She was going to love loving him.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead to hers. “So that’s a definite affirmative? You’ll marry me?”
“Yes. With pleasure. And you certainly don’t waste any time.”
“What can I say? Once a man of action, always a man of action. There’s no point in wasting any more time than we already have. This mission is on course, and there’s every indication it will be a rousing success.”
“So you knew I was different. In your office that first time we met,” Abby said skeptically.
“Yeah. Why?”
“The way you acted, for one thing. You told me no,” she reminded him.
“I’m saying yes now. In fact, I don’t think I could ever say no to you again. It scares me how much I need you. How much I love you.”
Her heart was overflowing with happiness and love. “But you’re not afraid of anything.”
“I didn’t used to be. A man who’s got nothing to lose has no fear. But now I’ve got the whole world, right here in my arms.”
“Me, too.” She snuggled against him, right there in front of God and all the neighbors.
She didn’t care who saw that her soldier was going to make a married woman out of one very happy single mom.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6776-7
THAT TOUCH OF PINK
Copyright © 2006 by Teresa Ann Southwick
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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*The Marchetti Family
**Destiny, Texas
†Desert Brides
††If Wishes Were…
§Buy-a-Guy
That Touch of Pink Page 15
