Last-Chance Marriage Rescue

by Catherine Mann

  “Kacie,” Nina cautioned.

  “There were people everywhere. I’m not a baby.” Kacie stood her ground, her eyes narrowing. “But maybe you and Mom should go off alone to talk about my punishment. Come on, Kelsey, let’s walk back to the cabin.”

  Anger rippled through him all over again. Was she looking for another opportunity to sneak off to talk to that boy? “Not a chance, young lady. You two aren’t stepping out of my sight.”

  “Dad,” Kacie growled in exasperation. “You are embarrassing me. I was only talking to my new friends.”

  “Your new boyfriend,” Kelsey teased.

  “Boyfriend?” Nina asked, gathered, cool. Coaxing the story out of the twins with a finesse that he couldn’t muster.

  There was so much he couldn’t afford to lose if she left him. He had to salvage something from the wreckage of their lives.

  “He’s a friend,” Kacie said with exaggerated patience. “And he’s a boy. It’s not the same.”

  “Tell that to Dad.” Kelsey snorted on a laugh, giving up the pretense of folding blankets now that the initial tension had diffused. She was all ears now.

  Nina glanced at Douglas, then back at the girls. “What did he do?”

  “He called me Doodle Bug. He hasn’t called me that since I was four years old,” she wailed, pressing her palms to her cheeks.

  Kelsey bit her lip, a sad attempt at stifling a laugh as she clutched the forgotten quilt to her chest.

  “It’s not funny.” Kacie stuffed her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt.

  “Sure, whatever,” Kelsey said, giggling.

  Sighing, Kacie waved. “Come on, let’s head back to the cabin.” She glanced over her shoulder at her parents. “And yes, we’ll stay within eyesight and we won’t talk to anyone, especially boys. You and Dad can follow in the truck and discuss my punishment.”

  After wishing for time alone with his wife, he finally got it when he was in no shape to have a productive conversation. Right now, he was spoiling for a fight, a way to vent the frustration boiling inside him. Which would only hurt his case in winning his wife back.

  “Girls,” he barked. “Get in the truck. It’s past my bedtime.”

  * * *

  Sitting in the middle of the bed, Nina hugged her knees to her chest, watching Douglas move around their bedroom in the firelight. His low-slung sweatpants hugged his lean hips, his well-worn T-shirt stretching across broad shoulders and a muscular chest honed from a lifetime of farm work.

  He looked delicious.

  And she was starving.

  He was also brooding and unapproachable as he stabbed at the logs in the grate.

  The whole ride back from the drive-in movie, he’d been silent, radiating a “stand back” vibe. She would have been amused at his overprotective father act, except she needed to talk to him about her plan for Ashlynn to visit.

  She thumbed a fraying seam on the quilt, looking for the words to put him in a more nostalgic frame of mind. “Remember when we both walked the floor all night long, each carrying a baby?”

  “Which time?” He glanced back at her. “Because as I recall, we did that at least four times a week for at least six months.”

  At least he was talking.

  “Any of the nights. Or all of them. You sang the rock tunes from your high school years, but in such a sweet voice the lyrics sounded like nursery rhymes.”

  Standing, he put the poker back in the metal bucket of fireplace tools. Flames crackled, brought to life by his careful attention. “I would have sung opera if it would have gotten them to sleep through the night.”

  Whimsy lit her insides at the notion. “Now that would have been entertaining.”

  He walked the room in his regular nighttime routine of checking the windows, making sure they were locked. “Remember the time we both woke up the next morning in a panic thinking something must be wrong with the girls since we slept so late?”

  Memories of that long-ago spring morning swelled in her mind, of waking in bed with her husband feeling rested for the first time in... forever, it seemed. Warm sunlight had pierced the chiffon drapes, bathing her handsome husband in an amber glow. He’d rolled to kiss her, one of those unhurried early-morning embraces, only to stop short as they realized it was morning. And the baby monitor was quiet.

  Calm had shifted to panic in a flash as they scrambled to the twins’ nursery, fearing the worst and finding...

  “Tyler had them both, holding one cradled in each arm, watching the sports channel.” The memory was so sweet, which made it all the more heartbreaking to remember. “He was good with them. He would have made a great father.”

  “He was a good father to me. A much better dad to me than I’ve been to the girls.” Grief rolled off him in waves, his broad shoulders hunched as he stood at the window.

  She shoved the quilt aside and swung her legs off the bed. Crossing to him, the wooden floorboards cold against her bare feet, she rested a hand on his back. “You’re an amazing father. Why do you think I was open to having more?”

  She’d had more time to think about that argument since they’d been at the ranch. More opportunity to consider why it had hurt so badly.

  He looked over his shoulder at her, his jaw tight. “This isn’t a subject—”

  “Douglas, I hear you,” she interrupted. “It’s a loaded topic, and we both have strong feelings about it. Even if I don’t agree, I respect your feelings on the subject.”

  “Since when?” he teased wryly, his mouth tipping into a half smile.

  She eased to sit on the edge of his futon. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I don’t mean to give you the impression I don’t respect your opinions. That’s just one of the reasons we have to figure out a way to deal with each other without all the tension in the air.”

  “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing here at Top Dog?” He dropped to sit beside her, his thigh warm against hers.

  She craved more of his touch. More of his heat. But she had to stay focused on the crisis at hand. For the sake of the girls. She took a breath, letting the air warmed by the fire fill her lungs.

  “Not at all.” She cast a sideways look at him, his face in the shadows of the flickering firelight. “We’ve been doing everything we can to avoid conflict, which just makes us explode and solves nothing.”

  “Well, then, what did you have in mind?” There was no missing the invitation in his voice or the blue-flame heat in his eyes.

  The air thickened between them, the temperature in the room rising. It would be easy to lean in. Brush her lips to his. Let him run his hands all over her.

  She swallowed hard against temptation, needing to keep the conversation on track. “A couple of things. First off, we need to stop delaying talking to the girls. It’s no wonder they’re on edge since we keep sending mixed signals.”

  “All right, that’s fair.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “When do you think is the right time?”

  Never? Now? When would be a good time to tell children their parents were splitting? “Perhaps after the art therapy in the cave tomorrow? Kelsey’s been looking forward to it and I’m worried if we chat beforehand, she might be too emotional. I would wait until we get home, but I’m afraid to put it off much longer for fear they’ll figure out on their own. We need to be the ones to tell them.”

  His throat moved in a long swallow and Douglas stayed silent for so long she thought he might tell her no. Then a log dropped in the grate, shooting sparks, ending his stare.

  He gave her a tight nod. “Sounds like a decent plan. I understand why we need to talk to them sooner rather than later. What’s your second point?”

  She hadn’t expected this next part to be tougher. Scarier. Not because he frightened her, but because her mishmash of feelings for this man scared her. After her parents’ deaths, un
certainty, change, turned out poorly more often than not.

  But she knew this was too important to let fear rule her. “I think we need to spend time alone together, just the two of us, and deal with all of these feelings so we can co-parent peacefully. Which is also why I think we should talk to them tomorrow, so they don’t misunderstand why we need time away.”

  His dark brows shot upward. “As much as I would love to take you up on that offer, how’s it possible for us to be alone? We have the girls to consider.”

  “I called Ashlynn and asked if she can come to the ranch for the weekend. She can have the sofa bed in the great room.”

  His mouth tightened again, storm clouds gathering in his eyes. “You do realize that means we’ll have even less time alone, right?”

  Her heartbeat sped at just the thought of what she had planned. The alone time she craved. She hoped she was doing the right thing, for the right reasons. But whatever her reasoning, she knew that she and Douglas needed to spend more time talking through what was happening.

  “Ashlynn would stay with the kids so we could take advantage of some couples-only options.” She drew in a bracing breath and took the plunge. “We could even spend a night away, just the two of us, away from all the distractions.”

  If the temperature had spiked before, now the air turned charged between them, full of innuendo and need too long denied. She met his gaze fully, no hiding, no dodging, letting him see the hodgepodge of conflicted feelings inside her, including desire.

  A desire she intended to act upon tomorrow, when she had him all to herself. All evening long until sunrise.

  Standing, she backed to her cold, waiting bed. “Good night, Douglas.”

  Chapter Ten

  Douglas hadn’t expected to get such a fortunate break with Nina, especially not at her instigation. His luck had drained dry long ago. Or so he’d thought.

  His wife had actually arranged for them to go away for a night alone together. He wasn’t going to dwell overlong on the fact that they had to talk to the girls first. That was only wise in case things didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Besides, they already suspected the marriage had been in trouble.

  But things were looking up.

  Whistling, he stood in the cabin’s small kitchenette, equipped with basic food staples, and flipped a pancake. Since they weren’t going to talk to the girls until after the cave painting class this afternoon, he figured he could make the most of their morning by reminding Nina of their old routine where he made breakfast on the weekends.

  Inhaling scents of vanilla as he watched the pancake cook, some of the tension that had been mounting in his chest fell away from him. For the first time, he felt truly hopeful. Pancake sizzling in the cast-iron frying pan, his thoughts wandered. Imagining being tangled with Nina.

  The sound of Nina in the shower set his mind on fire with images of her pale body lathered up with that lavender soap they’d made. Especially when he had the promise of a night alone with her, a possibility he’d hoped for, but never imagined she would be the one to instigate.

  The chattering voices of his daughters broke his thoughts. Glancing over his shoulder toward the loft, he saw Kelsey’s well-worn jeans first. She carefully climbed down the ladder singing in tune with Kacie. An old smartphone the girls used only for streaming music played a pop-country tune.

  Kacie belted out lyrics about loving her horse and her dog, boots smacking into the ground. Kelsey held a hairbrush as a microphone as the twins made their way toward him.

  The song ended and they both stuffed their hands into their respective front pockets of their hoodies. Both girls’ clothes were old since they’d been instructed to pack items that could be thrown away if they got covered in clay and paint during the day’s art activities. Kelsey’s stained pale pink hooded sweatshirt boasted a unicorn with a flowing mane above the pocket. Kacie’s dark green hoodie with a rip along the hem sported a herd of running horses on her back.

  He appreciated the normalcy of the morning after the hard night with Kacie. He was grateful to see her behaving like a kid and—even better—getting along with her sister. They looked happy, a situation that lifted his spirits even more.

  “Do you want your pancakes shaped like teddy bears or bunny rabbits?”

  “Dad,” Kelsey said primly, “I’m not a kid anymore.”

  Kacie raced to the stove, stretching up on her toes to look into the frying pan. “Well, I’m officially a kid for today so I’ll take both Kelsey’s rabbit and my bear.”

  “Coming right up.” He poured circles of different sizes into the pan, the batter sizzling in the melted butter.

  Kacie smiled up at him, her blue eyes twinkling. “Does this mean I’m forgiven for talking to that boy?”

  He knew he should probably stand his ground, but his heart had been wrapped around their little fingers from the moment his daughters had been born.

  Casting a sidelong look her way, he nodded reassurance. “You’re always forgiven. Just promise me you’ll be very careful. I need to be able to trust you.”

  “Yes, sir.” She hugged him hard before skipping off to search the cabinets for syrup.

  Thank goodness he could trust Ashlynn to watch over the kids like they were her own. The time she’d lived in the barn apartment, she’d been an invaluable help, a hard worker. He wished he could have found a way to afford to keep her on the payroll long term. Not just for the girls, but for Nina, too.

  Had he tried hard enough, though?

  Now wasn’t the time for second-guessing. He needed to focus on this window of opportunity with Nina. He didn’t have a boatload of money or fancy gifts to romance her.

  But he was counting on the Top Dog magic to come through with inspiration before their date night began.

  * * *

  Nina was counting down the minutes until Ashlynn arrived to take the girls. Chewing the inside of her lip, she focused on calming her nerves with art therapy as they painted cave walls near the hot springs. Not much longer and she would be alone with her husband. Her foster sister had offered to take the girls in the past, and right now, Nina couldn’t think of a reason why she hadn’t accepted the offer sooner.

  Camera in her leather bag at her feet, today she focused her artistic eye not on snapping pictures, but on adding stars to the painting on the sleek cave walls. The unique and broad canvas tapped into a whole new side to her creative spirit. Metallic silver flecks transformed the twilight-pink-and-periwinkle sky.

  This time this art therapy was in its own sort of twilight. An appropriate ending for a day filled with creation. It almost calmed her taut nerves over talking to the girls.

  Paintbrush grasped loosely between her fingertips, she cast a glance over her right shoulder to look for her daughters. The space echoed with the voices of other guests. Pottery from previous classes was scattered throughout, creating an eclectic space. Earlier today, Hollie had made a stunning vase in her tutorial. She made it look easy to form a balanced, sweeping vase.

  From this angle and lighting, some of the pottery looked like stalagmites. Kacie’s and Kelsey’s mugs caught the midafternoon rays at the cave’s mouth.

  Turning her attention back to the cave wall, she felt a smile pull the corners of her lips skyward. She glanced at her family and at the sprawling mural they’d created together of the sweeping hills of Archer land. Not surprisingly, Kacie painted a horse. Kelsey worked on what looked like a young girl sitting beneath a tree reading. Douglas had surprised her with his attention to detail, from the barn to a bell around one of the cows’ necks.

  Nina had taken countless photos in her life, but there was something different, freeing about swiping paint along the cavern walls, images that might not be seen by anyone after today. This was for her. Just her. Moving down from the sky, she dipped her brush into the cobalt paint. She splashed paint across in a river of blue, like the w
aters that took her parents from her.

  Her arm bumped against Douglas. His eyes locked with hers as he gathered the brushes right before he followed the girls deeper into the cave to the hot springs. A smile lit the space more effectively than the globes on the walls.

  A snap of connection, like static, went all the way to her bones, filling her with wonder. Anticipation.

  And a bucket of nerves.

  Which seemed so silly after all this time. After everything. Still, she was ready to be alone with him, despite the fracture that was coming soon—too soon. He’d been so sweet about making pancakes this morning, serving up bears and rabbits like when the girls were little.

  Small, fragile hope blossomed in her chest. She couldn’t quite pin down the feeling.

  Breathe in. Breathe out. She could do this.

  Satisfied with their cave painting, she moved toward Douglas and the girls. They were cleaning the eco-friendly paint off in the hot springs, laughter resting easy in the air.

  In no time at all, she closed the distance between them. Crouched next to Douglas. Let their legs touch. He didn’t pull away. Instead, leaned into her with gentle pressure.

  She tipped her head closer to his. “Need some help there?”

  He shot a wry glance her way. “All my creativity got used up in pottery class.” He pointed toward the cluster of pottery, gesturing to a lopsided vase painted purple. “Art never was my best subject. I meant for it to be blue, but the color mix was off. I added too much red apparently.”

  “I think it’s precious.”

  “Good. Because it’s for you.” He chuckled, angling closer to her, his breath warm on her neck. “You don’t have to look so horrified.”

  Nina’s insides melted at the familiar heat of him, the steam from the springs giving life an ethereal haze.

  “Not horrified. Just surprised.” She could almost forget for a moment that they were going to talk to the girls soon about their plans to divorce.