by Debra Holt
“Okay. I’m going to get Charlie in the shower and clean her up.” She looked at Cole and shook her head. “You need to do the same for yourself. Then we need to get this bed changed.”
Thirty minutes later, Charlie was under the clean covers of her bed and fast asleep. Cole’s hair was still damp. But he was in clean sweat pants and a tee shirt.
“I need a glass of milk and then my pillow.” Emma headed downstairs.
Cole followed. “I’m tired but still keyed up. I hate that feeling of being helpless and I only get it when it involves Charlie. I can handle any other crisis just fine.”
“She’s your child. She means too much to you. That’s why it’s different.”
Emma poured a small glass of milk and looked at him.
“No, thanks. I don’t think I’ll be hungry or thirsty for a while.”
She replaced the milk carton and shut the fridge.
“How did you know to do all that? And you stayed so calm.”
“I just use basic instincts… is there a fever? Did her abdomen feel hard or hot to the touch? When I heard what she had eaten, it wasn’t rocket science from there. The only way she would feel better was to get her to throw up or relax enough to go back to sleep. She went the not so pleasant route.”
“Well, I’m glad you were here. I don’t know what I would have done. Probably called out half the county for my daughter’s upset stomach.”
“She’s a lucky little girl to have a dad who loves her so much.” She took a sip of the milk. Then she sat the glass down on the counter.
Cole reached over and his finger slowly wiped the corner of her mouth. Her breath caught in her throat. His gaze stayed on her mouth. In slow motion, he lowered his head and then the tip of his tongue was doing what his finger began, slowly licking across her bottom lip, then the side, until his mouth covered hers and then his tongue slipped inside and she felt a wild zing of heat flare through her body and she was a goner. It was a sensuous kiss like none other.
A pair of strong hands slid around her waist, and drew her against his heated body. And that took care of her last bit of reserve. His palms then moved under the crop top of her pajamas. Her body was already on fire as he used the island behind her to hold her captive while his lower body pinned her in place, making her very much aware of how turned on he was in the moment.
Her hips nudged forward and he moved his hands higher until his two thumbs reached the underside of her breasts. His tongue dove deeper, dancing and teasing with hers. Her body was on fire and she wanted to be consumed by the incredible sensations that made her toss all other thought to the wind. Her fingertips found the soft hair at the nape of his neck and lost themselves in the thickness.
When his hands slid over the sensitized flesh of the bottoms of her breasts, she wanted to pull him inside her skin. Then his thumbs rubbed across the taut points and fireworks shot off beneath her eyelids and a heated moistness filled her core. Her pelvis thrust against his hardness, needing more of him. But it wasn’t meant to be. The radio in the console on the kitchen cabinet was beeping. It didn’t stop. It was like a glass of cold water dousing a flame.
He pulled away, swearing whoever was calling was living on borrowed time. While he reached for the handset, he did not move away from her. “This better be—”
Emma could feel the tautness in his body change as he listened to the caller. She tried to get her emotions and body back under control. What had they almost done?
“I can be there faster than he can. Call the life flight team and I’m on my way.”
Emma was already ahead of him when he turned to her with an expression that clearly showed he was torn. “It’s your job. Go.”
“I am closest to—”
“It’s okay. Move it.”
“I feel like I need to say something, but it wouldn’t have anything to do with an apology. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He dropped a quick, hard kiss on her mouth again and then he headed toward the mudroom, grabbing his jacket and hat. There was a pair of coveralls in the mudroom and he shimmied into them in a second. His feet jammed into boots and he was gone.
Emma slid down onto the floor and allowed the ticking of the clock in the hall to slow her breathing rate. Drawing her knees up against her body, she sat there for several long minutes. Her mind and emotions were all over the place. He said they needed to talk tomorrow. And he didn’t seem in the least bit sorry about the kiss. And the last few hours… it just seemed right. People who didn’t know their situation might take them for a family. And that was dangerous territory. It would be too easy to try and pretend they were anything other than employer/employee. But he had kissed her. And that changed things.
Cole said they needed to talk. What was there to say? She had no idea. In a million years she couldn’t imagine herself ever crossing such a line with someone she was working for. But this was certainly a different situation than anything she had ever found herself in… and Cole was hard to resist. Did he feel the same way? His opinion of her the last few weeks had changed. He had become more accepting, had thanked her more often, had tried to meet her halfway. Could there be a chance? Dare she take the chance?
Chapter Nine
They didn’t talk the next day. Cole had already agreed earlier in the month to attend a judicial conference in New Mexico with a contingent of fellow officers from their area of the state. That fact had skipped his mind. What they did have was a scant five minutes as he hurriedly packed while she fed and went through the morning ritual with Charlie. When he came downstairs, with his bags, they exchanged looks while Charlie was busy giving him an idea of how she wanted to carve their pumpkin when he returned.
“I’ve got to go. I must meet the others at the airport but I’m picking up Davis along the way, also. I wish I could change these plans, but I can’t.”
“It’s fine. We’re going to be okay. It’s not like we don’t have plenty of people close by to call if we do need something. Right, Charlie?” Emma glanced over at the child and she nodded her head.
“Okay, then give me a hug and kiss,” he said as he bent to his daughter. “I miss you already. You help Emma and be my good girl.” He gathered his bag and slid his hat on his head. He moved toward the door. Then he stopped. “Charlie, I forgot my phone and it’s on the bed in my room. Can you run get it for me?”
The child hopped down and was off like a shot.
Cole didn’t waste any time. The bag went on the floor by the door and he took two steps, the freed hand sliding around Emma’s neck and drawing her in for a swift kiss before steps were heard in the hallway above them. “I purposely left my phone upstairs. You and I still need to have that talk about things… about how things seem to have changed and all. And not in a bad way. I’ll miss you, too.” He whispered before resuming his spot at the door as Charlie bounded into the room with his cell. He took it and dropped it in his jacket pocket. “Thanks, princess. I already miss you ladies.”
Emma stood for several seconds with the spatula still in hand where she had halted it when he kissed her. What was going on? Something had changed. He acknowledged it with his words and his kiss and the look he gave her as he went out the door. Was it possible? The words kept flitting through her mind. She felt there was something she was standing on the edge of but a curtain was obscuring her view of it. Did she want the possible behind the curtain? If only the answer came as easily as the question did. Something had changed and she couldn’t explain it.
“The pancake’s turning black.” Charlie’s voice brought her back to the reality of the moment. She dumped the charred food in the trash. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Her mother’s words of warning came back. More importantly, she reminded herself what generally happened when she dared to get her hopes up about something. They invariably crashed and burned.
Four days. Four days she would wait. Maybe Cole would come back and all would remain the same. He might have a change of heart while gone. Heart? Was his heart involved a
t all? Or had the moment and their simmering attraction finally exploded into a moment that shouldn’t have happened at all? So many questions, so few answers. One day at a time.
*
“Hold still, Charlie. You’re wiggling like a worm. I’ll either end up sticking you or me with these pins.” Mae took hold of the small shoulders and held them steady… again. Then she bent to the hem of the skirt one more time.
“Do you think anyone else will have such a pretty dress? Do you think it’ll win the costume contest? The prize is a party at Pizza Joe’s and a hundred tokens to play on the games. I can take all my friends.”
“Your costume is beautiful and you need to thank your grandmother for all the material she found so that it would sparkle so pretty for you. Just remember that everyone has a chance to win the costume contest, the same as you. And the object of this carnival is to raise money for the food pantry so everyone will have a good Thanksgiving meal who might not have one.” Emma didn’t want to bring down Charlie’s spirits, but she did need to know that there were other things more important than having the prettiest dress at the carnival.
“I know. That’s why sometimes I share my lunch box with Annie Williams. Sometimes she has only an old-looking apple to eat that she hides in her pocket. Her daddy doesn’t have a job. She’s my friend and Billy Anderson isn’t anymore.”
Emma and Mae exchanged smiles. “That’s very good that you share your lunch with Annie. If you had told me about that, I’d have packed extra. I’ll include some other things in there from now on. I’m proud of you for doing that.” Emma praised the little girl. “And what about Billy? Why isn’t he your friend any longer?”
“He made fun of Annie’s shoes. They aren’t like the other kids’. She shares them with her little sister. Do you think I could share some of mine with her?”
The two women didn’t speak for a moment. They seemed to both be afflicted with something in their eyes. They didn’t need to make a big deal out of the fact Charlie was showing such kindness to another classmate without thinking it any kind of sacrifice.
Emma smoothed the folds of the dress. “I think we can make some time to go through your closet and do a little spring cleaning early. That can be a weekend project, okay?”
Charlie’s huge smile was her reply. Then it faded a bit. “Do you think daddy will be home in time to carve the pumpkin? It has to look good so someone will bid it.”
“Bid it?” Mae inquired, rising from her spot on the floor, gathering her sewing items in her wake.
“Their class pumpkins are going to be auctioned to raise more funds for the pantry. Cole was supposed to help her, but with the weather as it is between here and New Mexico, his flight might not make it until tomorrow evening,” Emma explained.
“Well, if we need to get your grampy and his whittling knife after that pumpkin, I bet we can. I’ll tell him he needs to come by and help you first thing in the morning. How’s that?”
That brightened Charlie’s face.
“Now let’s get you out of the dress and let me finish the hem. He can bring your dress with him in the morning, too. Now, you both are staying for some stew and cornbread.”
Emma smiled. “You won’t get any argument from me. How about you, Charlie?”
“Nope. And can I please have some chocolate ice cream, too?”
“Only if you eat all of your dinner first and Emma says it’s okay. Now let’s get those princess duds off. Why don’t you run see what Grampy is watching on television in the den? We’ll call you two when dinner is on the table.”
Mae busied herself at the stove while Emma set the dining table in the alcove with dishes and utensils.
“I spoke with Ronnie down at the courthouse today. She made the comment that she was certainly happy to see the relaxed change in her boss of late. He seemed to be smiling a lot more and even was taking to managing his schedule so he could spend more time at home with Charlie in the evenings.”
Emma kept her attention on placing the napkins on the table next. “Yes, Charlie is certainly happy to spend more time with him.”
“He was heard praising the job you were able to do with that new program you installed on his computer. It certainly has helped keep the cattle records updated. I knew I was right about you from the first moment we met.”
Emma looked at the woman who was stirring the pot of stew. “How were you right?”
“That you were smart and dependable and a hard worker. And you were just what my son and granddaughter needed… a burst of warm sunshine in that dreary farmhouse and their lives.” The woman put the lid back on the pot and turned to Emma with a smile of satisfaction.
“That’s a wonderful compliment and I thank you for it. But I think you’re giving me too much credit.”
“You know by now that I don’t say anything I don’t mean and that I don’t know to be true. And I know that the change in my son is because of you. And the fact that Charlie is so happy is due to your love and care… those are things I do know. And I will go a step further and say that I’ve seen you change also. And I would like to think it’s because you’ve come to care for both of them. Am I right?”
Mae’s gaze was intent on Emma and the conversation had turned serious in a heartbeat. Emma had no idea how to sidestep the question. And she had the feeling Mae would recognize anything that wasn’t the unvarnished truth.
“I do care. I know it’s just my job and all… but it would be almost impossible not to love Charlie.”
“And do you love my son?”
Emma was shocked into silence. How was she supposed to answer that one? Because until that very moment, she hadn’t put any word to her feelings. Love? How did one know?
“I have my answer. And I think you just realized your own feelings. Forgive this old woman for being such a nosy busybody, but I think it’s best to be direct and not waste time with nonsense words. And this is just between you and me.” Her gaze softened on Emma.
“I can’t speak for Cole. But if you’ve managed to bring him back to the land of living again and broken through that wall around his heart, then I will be eternally grateful. Just know that both Vernon and I think you’re part of our family already… for however long or short a time you choose to be with us. And we hope it is a very, very long time.” She stood up straighter. “Now let’s get the food on the table.”
*
A couple hours later, Emma and Charlie headed home. Charlie had had her chocolate ice cream and her eyes were drooping. Since it was a Friday night, Emma had allowed her to stay up past her usual bedtime. They could both sleep in a little in the morning before Grampy arrived and then the clock would start running on getting items packed and ready for the carnival. Somehow, Emma had found herself in charge of the cake walk and had a crash course in rounding up volunteers to bake and to work the booth. But with the good cause in mind, people were willing to help and that made her job easier. And it made her feel part of the community that had seemed to accept her into their fold without question and made her feel welcome in more ways than she could count.
The house was quiet and Angel greeted them in her usual happy dance. She escaped outside while Emma got Charlie ready for bed. When Emma opened the back door again, Angel rushed in and straight up the stairs. Her spot on the foot of the child’s bed was her beacon. Emma turned off the lights and checked doors as was her usual routine. Climbing the stairs to her room, it struck her how her life seemed to have become a routine that had woven seamlessly into the house, the town, and the lives of those she cared about. As if she belonged… and that thought caused that feeling in the pit of her stomach to return.
She didn’t belong. Not truly. Less than three months and her time would officially be up there in McKenna Springs. Her truck repairs had already been paid in full with her last paycheck. Her savings would be in good shape when the spring came and it was time to move down the road. But how would she do that? Be grateful for what you have, while you have it.
&n
bsp; Her mother had said that after each move they made… leaving one town, one roof… and heading off into the unknown. She had learned the lesson well. When she left, she would have a treasure chest full of memories to carry with her wherever she ended up next. She shouldn’t ask for more. She told herself that while she stood in the doorway of Charlie’s room and watched the sleeping face of the little girl that had come to own so much of Emma’s heart in a short time.
And she thought back over the story Mae had shared with her a couple of days before. Emma had finally gotten up her courage and asked about Charlie’s mother, Cole’s wife. She had always assumed the woman had died.
Mae had grown quiet and looked at the liquid inside her coffee mug for a few long moments. “It’s not something that is discussed, but I’ve often thought of sharing it with you of late,” she had begun. “Charlie’s mother didn’t die. She left. She walked away from her family of her own free will. She wanted… she wanted something else, she said. Charlie was just over six months old.”
Emma hadn’t known how to respond to the shock of that news, so she had remained quiet.
“It was bad enough that she left her child and husband. But this was doubly hard on the whole family because… because she left with Cole’s brother, Jimmy. She left with our other son. That’s why you don’t hear mention of him or see photos. It would be too hard and raise too many questions… until Charlie gets older and wants to know more. Maybe we’ll all have a better grip on what to tell her because maybe we’ll all be able to understand it better ourselves.”
Emma couldn’t find the words so she simply had stood and walked around the table and embraced the older woman in her arms. Mae returned the hug and they had stayed like that for several moments.
In the days following Mae’s admission, Emma had realized what was behind a lot of Cole’s earlier attitude towards her. He was a man who had been terribly hurt, and was trying to protect not only himself but his child and entire family, from more hurt. And when one opened their heart to someone, there was always the chance it could be broken. He didn’t know her. He had checked her out and she couldn’t blame him. She wished he had explained about his past then… she wished she hadn’t been so resentful of it.
