A Very Special Delivery

by Brenda Harlen

  “Well, I’d say he’s off to a good start, because he’s got a great mother, anyway,” he told her.

  Her lips curved, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, and he suspected that she didn’t trust he was willing to drop the subject of Caden’s father. “I’m flattered you think so,” she said. “But the truth is, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

  “Fake it till you make it.”

  “That’s interesting advice.”

  “I’m an interesting guy,” he said immodestly.

  She looked at him now, her gaze speculative. “And far too charming for your own good,” she decided.

  “Since when is an excess of charm a bad thing?”

  “When it’s part of a package that includes a too-handsome face and a smile that makes a woman’s knees weak.”

  There was no way he could not smile in response to that. “You think I’m handsome?”

  “It’s not an opinion but a fact,” she told him.

  “Do I make your knees weak?”

  “Right now, I’m weak from hunger,” she told him. “Breakfast was a long time ago and that chili your sister-in-law brought over smells fabulous.”

  His teasing smile faded. He was accustomed to being on his own and not having to think about anyone else, and it was only now he realized they’d skipped lunch. Which wasn’t unusual for him, but probably wasn’t advisable for a nursing mother.

  “You should have said that you were hungry,” he admonished. Then he shook his head. “No, you don’t have to tell me—just help yourself to anything you want. And if there’s something that you want that I don’t have, let me know so I can get it for you.”

  She touched a hand to his arm, silencing his rambling apology.

  “I’m not really starving,” she assured him. “But that chili does smell good.”

  “I’ll dish it up.”

  * * *

  Julie decided to try Caden in the car seat/carrier that Georgia had brought over. When he was buckled in, she sat him across from her at the table while Lukas sliced a loaf of crusty bread to accompany the chili.

  Conversation throughout the meal was casual and easy, and Julie began to relax again. She’d enjoyed the teasing banter they’d exchanged earlier, had felt comfortable with Lukas. And then she’d touched him—just a casual brush of her fingertips to his sleeve—but the sparks that had flown from the contact had unnerved her.

  “Fiction or nonfiction?” he asked, pushing aside his now empty bowl.

  “Sorry?”

  “What do you like to read?”

  “Almost anything,” she told him. “But I’m not a fan of the horror genre. What about you?”

  “Mostly nonfiction,” he said. “Rock or country?”

  “Alternative.”

  His brows lifted at her response. “Me, too,” he admitted. “Romantic comedies or action flicks?”

  “Depends on my mood.”

  “What are you in the mood for tonight? There’s a Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant movie on TV or we can choose something from my James Bond collection.”

  “You don’t have to entertain me,” she told him.

  “I don’t see how sliding a DVD into a player qualifies as me entertaining you.”

  “I just figured you had better things to do than hang out with me.”

  “I can’t imagine anything better than spending a few hours in the company of a beautiful woman,” he countered.

  Julie was flattered—and tempted. Because as tired as she was, she was even more tired of being alone. For the past seven months, she’d moved from city to city, gallery to gallery. Yes, she’d routinely been introduced to new people, but at the end of each day, she’d gone back to an empty hotel room alone. She’d kept in touch with her family and friends, but the distance had been lonely.

  Now the show was over, Evangeline’s collection had been carefully packed up and shipped back to The Grayson Gallery, and Julie was officially on the three-month maternity leave that she’d negotiated with her employer. She didn’t have to be “on” anymore, she didn’t have to present a polished and professional image. What Lukas was offering her right now—the chance to sit and relax and tuck her feet up beneath her on the sofa—sounded too good to refuse. And she wasn’t going to.

  “Despite the blatantly inaccurate but much appreciated compliment, I would enjoy watching a movie with you,” she told him.

  “So what will it be? Rom-com or double-oh-seven?”

  “Double-oh-seven,” she said without hesitation. “I’m still feeling a little emotional and I don’t know you well enough to want to bawl my eyes out in front of you twice in one day.”

  “You didn’t bawl earlier,” he denied. “You were just a little teary.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better,” she told him.

  “Okay—any particular Bond flick you want to see?”

  “Do you have the latest one?”

  “Is it your favorite?”

  “I haven’t actually seen it yet.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll watch.” He stood up to carry their bowls to the dishwasher. “Did you, uh, want to nurse the baby before we start the movie?”

  She glanced at the slim, white-gold watch on her wrist. He noticed that the elegant oval was ringed with diamonds and the name on the face said Cartier. “I probably should,” she said in response to his question.

  “I’ll tidy up in here and make popcorn while you’re doing that,” he said.

  “Popcorn? We just finished dinner.”

  “There’s always room for popcorn,” he insisted.

  She frowned. “Isn’t that Jell-O?”

  “Sorry, I don’t have any Jell-O.”

  She was shaking her head when she carried Caden out to the family room.

  Luke puttered around in the kitchen for a while, putting away the leftovers, loading the dishwasher, checking that both Einstein and Daphne had water in their respective dishes. The popcorn would only take a few minutes in the microwave but it would take Julie longer than that to nurse Caden.

  When the popcorn was popped, he dumped it into a bowl and carried it, along with a can of cola for himself and a glass of water for Julie, to the family room.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure,” he agreed easily.

  “Does being around a nursing mother make you uncomfortable?”

  “No,” he immediately responded, though his gaze shifted away. “I think it’s one of the most incredible and beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

  “Then why do you jump up and leave the room every time you think Caden’s hungry?”

  “Because I thought you might be uncomfortable, nursing in front of a stranger.”

  She shrugged. “My body stopped being my own when I got pregnant. And considering that you helped deliver my baby, it seems pointless to be self-conscious about baring a breast when you’ve seen much more intimate parts of me.”

  “Okay, then,” he said, because his brain suddenly seemed incapable of generating a more articulate response.

  “And it’s your house,” she reminded him. “So if I’m uncomfortable, I can go to my room. And if you’re uncomfortable, you can send me to my room.”

  “Seeing you nurse your baby doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” he assured her. “This conversation, on the other hand…”

  She laughed. “Okay—conversation over.”

  “Thank you,” he said, and picked up the remote.

  * * *

  Luke wasn’t surprised that Julie fell asleep before the end of the movie. What did surprise him was that when she did succumb to slumber, her head tipped toward him, then nestled against his shoulder.

  He could smell the scent of her shampoo, and it reminded him of fruity drinks and tropical beaches. Her hair was soft and shiny and a thousand different shades of gold. Her skin was flawless and pale, her cheekbones high, her lashes long and thick. Her lips were exquisitely shaped, and temptingly full.

  He fel
t a stirring low in his belly, tried to ignore it. She was an attractive woman so it wasn’t unexpected that he would be attracted to her. But under the circumstances, it would be completely inappropriate to act on that attraction.

  So though he was tempted to dip his head, to brush his lips over the sweet, soft curve of hers and wake her with a long, lingering kiss, he knew that he couldn’t. She wasn’t his sleeping beauty and he wasn’t anyone’s prince.

  Even if, for just a minute, he wanted to be.

  Luke loved all of his nieces and nephews, and he got a kick out of hanging out with the kids, but that was good enough for him. He had no desire to tie himself to one woman—who would want that when there were so many fascinating and interesting women to choose from?—and no concern about carrying on the family name—and why would he, when his brothers already had that covered? In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been involved in a relationship that had lasted even six months. And that was okay, because he’d never seen himself as the type to settle down with a wife and a couple of kids.

  But his mind had started moving in a different direction when he’d helped deliver Julie Marlowe’s baby. There was something about the little boy that had taken a firm hold on his heart. Maybe it was the fact that his hands had been the first to hold the newborn infant, but whatever the reason, he felt as if there was a real connection between them.

  Unfortunately, he knew that when Julie decided to go back to Massachusetts he’d probably never see her or Caden again. The prospect left him feeling strangely empty inside.

  And it wasn’t just the little guy that he would miss. Though he’d barely known Julie for twenty-four hours, they’d been through a lot together in that short period of time. He didn’t know her well, but he knew that she was smart and strong and brave and spunky, and he knew that he wanted some time to get to know her better.

  Whether it was fate or providence or luck, she wasn’t going anywhere for at least a few days. Not while the snow was still falling and her vehicle was at Bruce’s Body Shop. And maybe, by the time the storm passed and her car was fixed, she would want to stay a little longer.

  Or maybe by then he’d be ready for them to go.

  Okay, so he didn’t think that was a likely scenario, but living with a woman and her baby was completely outside of his realm of experience so he wasn’t going to assume anything.

  The end credits rolled, and still she didn’t stir. With sincere reluctance, he finally nudged her gently with his shoulder.

  “Come on,” he said. “I don’t want to sleep in a chair again tonight.”

  Her eyelids flickered, then slowly lifted. It took a moment for her soft blue-gray gaze to focus, but the moment that it did, she pulled away from him. “I fell asleep,” she realized. “I’m so sorry.”

  “No need to apologize to me.” He lifted the baby from her arms, then helped Julie to her feet. “Although Daniel Craig would probably be upset to know that he put you to sleep.”

  “I wish Daniel Craig was here to put me to sleep.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “Runner-up again.”

  “Actually, you’re better than Daniel Craig,” she told him. “He’s just a fantasy, but you’re real. And you saved my baby.”

  He wasn’t comfortable being thrust into the role of a hero. Especially when anyone else would have done the same thing under the circumstances. So he ignored the latter part of her comment and said, “Come on.” He nudged her toward the stairs. “Let’s get you up to a real bed.”

  When they reached the guest room, he turned on the bedside lamp, then gently laid Caden down in the cradle.

  “Do you have pajamas?” he asked Julie, who was already tugging back the covers on the bed.

  “I’m too tired to get changed,” she said.

  He didn’t argue with her. And when she’d crawled between the sheets, he moved over to the bed and dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Sweet dreams.”

  “You, too,” she said, her eyes already shut.

  As Luke made his way to his own room down the hall, he suspected that he would be tossing and turning all night. Thinking about the woman down the hall, and wanting what he couldn’t have.

  * * *

  When Julie awoke the next morning, she didn’t remember if she’d dreamed, but she’d definitely slept better than the night before. She was still up countless times to nurse and change and cuddle with Caden, but she didn’t have any trouble falling back to sleep in between. And Caden had slept well in the cradle—if not for any longer than three hours at a time.

  After his morning feeding, Julie took another shower and changed into a clean pair of yoga pants and a wrap-style sweater. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was after 8:00 a.m. She hadn’t heard any activity from down the hall, and she wondered if Lukas was already up and about or if he was still sleeping.

  As she started down the stairs, she noticed Einstein waiting for her at the bottom, dancing around in excited anticipation. She bent to pat his head, and he fairly quivered with excitement. For an active and exuberant pup, he was surprisingly restrained around the baby, which she appreciated.

  He raced down the hall, then back again. She didn’t have any trouble interpreting his silent message, and she followed him to the kitchen.

  “Pancakes okay?” Lukas said by way of greeting when she appeared in the doorway.

  “Very okay,” she said. “But you don’t have to cook for me all the time.”

  He shrugged. “I was cooking for myself, anyway.”

  She settled Caden into his carrier as Lukas put a platter of food on the table. Along with a generous stack of fluffy pancakes was a pile of crisp bacon strips.

  “You made bacon again?”

  “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it,” he told her.

  “The problem is that I do want it,” she admitted, and snagged a piece from the platter.

  “Would you feel less guilty if I told you it was turkey bacon?”

  “Yes.” She bit into it. “Is it?”

  “No, but I’ll lie if it will make you feel better.”

  She took a couple more slices, then added a couple of pancakes to her plate. Lukas sat down with her and proceeded to slather his pancakes with butter and drench them with syrup.

  They chatted while they ate. Lukas teased her with hints about what parts of the movie she’d missed when she’d fallen asleep the night before—although she was skeptical about his claim that James Bond had to battle a one-legged Gypsy bank robber and his buxom transgendered girlfriend. He made her smile and laugh, and he made her forget all the reasons that she’d run away from Springfield more than seven months earlier and appreciate the fact that she was with him here in Pinehurst now.

  He was halfway through his stack of pancakes when a low hum sounded from across the room. “Sorry,” he apologized, pushing his chair away from the table. “That’s my pager.”

  He read the message on the display, then disappeared into his office, no doubt to make a call. Julie finished her breakfast, stealing another piece of bacon from the platter and chatted with Caden while she waited for Lukas to return.

  When he came back to the table, he wasn’t smiling. Without a word, he picked up his plate and scraped the contents into the garbage.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked tentatively.

  He shook his head. “No. I have to go see a patient.”

  “I didn’t know vets made house calls.”

  “Sometimes.” He grabbed his keys from the counter, and Einstein was immediately at his feet, tail wagging. Lukas shook his head. “Sorry, buddy. Not this time.” When the puppy’s ears dropped, he bent to give the dog a quick scratch.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he said.

  Julie wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or the dog, and then he was gone.

  * * *

  Despite his promise to be back soon, Lukas was gone for most of the day. Julie wasn’t concerned by his absence so much as she w
as concerned about him, because it was apparent that whatever had called him away from home on a Sunday morning had been serious.

  Early afternoon, she made herself a peanut butter sandwich and washed it down with a glass of milk. After she’d fed and changed Caden, she sat him on her lap and read out loud to him from one of the picture books that Georgia had brought over.

  The DVD was still in the player from the night before, so Julie fast-forwarded to the part where she’d fallen asleep and watched the end of the movie.

  When it was over, she fed Caden—again, and changed him—again. Then she laid him on a blanket on the floor for some “tummy time” because it was supposed to help develop upper body strength for crawling.

  As soon as Einstein heard the key in the lock, he was racing toward the door, dancing and barking in excited anticipation of his master’s return. Julie scooped Caden up from the floor and carried him to the hall to greet Lukas.

  From the wide doorway, she could see that he was seated on the deacon’s bench beside the closet, a takeout bag beside him and Einstein in his lap. His boots were still on his feet, there was a light dusting of fresh snow on his jacket, and though his eyes were closed, tension was evident in the clenched muscles of his jaw.

  She took a quick step back, not wanting to intrude on what was obviously some private pain, and retreated to the family room again. She’d turned on the TV after the movie finished, more for the background noise than because she had any interest in the crime investigation show that was playing out on screen, but she settled back on the sofa now and feigned rapt attention.

  A few minutes later, Lukas spoke from the doorway. “I picked up Chinese.”

  Caden, who had just started to drift off to sleep, woke up again. His eyes opened wide and immediately began searching for him. The realization that her son already recognized the man’s voice was both startling and unnerving for Julie, but it was Lukas’s avoidance of her gaze that worried her.

  She followed him into the kitchen and put Caden in the portable car seat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, still not looking at her. “I didn’t think I’d be gone so long.”