With Valor and Devotion

by Charlotte Maclay

  Take care of Randy.

  Or make love with Mike.

  Chapter Nine

  “You will?” Mike nearly dropped his ice-cream cone, not sure he’d heard her right. Was Kristin really volunteering to baby-sit Randy when Mike had to work?

  Color bloomed on her cheeks. She glanced at Randy standing at the counter, fascinated by the store clerk who was decorating an ice cream birthday cake. “Since you seem determined to call me whenever there’s a crisis, I might as well be there to begin with. Maybe I can save us both some trouble.”

  His spirits soared, not entirely because the problem of Randy’s child care had been solved. “That’d be great.”

  “It’s just temporary, you realize. Using Randy’s date of birth, the county investigator has tracked down the name of his maternal aunt. He’s searching for her now.”

  “Temporary. Absolutely.” Funny how Mike liked the sound of that less now than he had in the beginning. But nothing had changed. He still wasn’t exactly ideal father material. “I guess that means you’ll be moving in with me.”

  The color that had put roses in her cheeks drained away. “I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. I’m not supposed to take children home with me. I’ve already been nailed for that little violation of the rules when I thought it was an emergency.” She shrugged as if breaking a rule didn’t bother her, while Mike suspected the opposite was the case. “I’ve only got a one-bedroom apartment anyway. Besides, I think it would be unsettling for him to move back and forth between our apartments every other night. Not to mention that Suzie would be a problem at my place.”

  “I agree moving into my apartment would be better.” Besides, that would mean Kristin would be sleeping in his bed three or four nights a week—leaving her sweet citrus scent on his pillow to plague his dreams. An enticing torture, to say the least.

  He licked his ice cream, which was beginning to get runny, and she watched the path of his tongue.

  “You want a bite?” he asked. “It’s real sweet.”

  Her gaze snapped up to meet his. “No. No, thanks.” Her tongue moistened her lips, making them glisten like a shiny red apple, one Mike wanted to taste. “I really need to get back to work.”

  “Sure. I’ll take you back to the courthouse, then Randy can come with me back to the station. I’ve still gotta shower and change. You want to stay at my place tonight?” The depth of her green eyes darkened at the suggestion, wary and mysterious.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll pick Randy up from day care tomorrow at six.”

  “I’ll leave my spare key under the mat. Hold on to it so you can come and go as you please.” His lips slid into a grin. “Heck of a thing, having a beautiful woman sleep in my bed and I’m not even going to be there. Hope none of the guys at the station hear about this.”

  “I promise I won’t be the one to tell.”

  “You gonna sleep in Mike’s bed?” Randy asked so loudly the store clerk looked up from his work.

  Kristin rolled her eyes.

  Mike laughed. “Guess with little kids around it’s hard to keep a secret.”

  “I can keep a secret,” the boy protested. Ice cream stained a pink circle around his mouth.

  He sure could—like who his family was.

  Snatching a couple of napkins from the holder on the counter, Kristin said, “No secret what you’ve been eating, young man.” Despite the boy’s complaints, she wiped his face.

  A darn shame she’d lost her baby, Mike mused as they left the ice cream shop. She was instinctively maternal, naturally loving. Any kid would be lucky to have her as a mother. Mike hadn’t been that fortunate. He could only hope somewhere downstream Randy would have the chance to have a mother like Kristin.

  Randy slipped his free hand in Mike’s, small and sticky with ice cream.

  “Did you see that birthday cake that man was makin’?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “I never had one like that.”

  “But you’ve had the regular kind of cake, right?”

  “Uh-uh. I’ve never had no kind.”

  Mike slid a glance at the boy. He could remember a birthday cake or two in his honor, but usually the foster family didn’t even know when his birthday was. Or care.

  “Maybe this year will be different,” he said, silently vowing Randy would get his cake if Mike had to deliver it clear across the state.

  AMAZINGLY, their schedule worked well for the rest of the week. On Saturday, Kristin spent the whole day alone with Randy, taking him to the Children’s Museum and to the library to select more read-aloud books and a video to view that evening.

  But when she crawled into Mike’s bed that night, she realized full-time parenting of a six-year-old was even more exhausting than caring for a baby. Even so, her arms didn’t feel as empty as they had since she’d lost Bobby. Perhaps she’d lavished too many hugs on Randy, but he hadn’t objected. And despite her admonitions to herself to keep her emotional distance, she’d cherished the feel of his sweet little arms hugging her back.

  Within seconds of her head touching Mike’s big, fluffy pillow, she was sound asleep, content with his masculine scent surrounding her. Thank goodness she could sleep late in the morning.

  HE HAD KRISTIN right where he wanted her. In his bed. Unfortunately he wasn’t there with her.

  Admiring Kristin from across the room, Mike lowered his duffel quietly to the floor. Her hair spilled across his pillow in a tangled auburn waterfall, brighter highlights of red and gold catching the morning sun coming in the window. Her complexion, even without makeup, looked vibrant, as though the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks were a symbol of her energy. Her lips were slightly open in readiness for a kiss.

  Eager to taste their flavor again, he sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed and bent over to touch her lips with his.

  Warm and soft. Feminine. Parting on a sweet sigh that took possession of his senses. He circled her lips with his tongue, tasting, teasing them lazily with erotic possibilities. Testing his own self-restraint.

  His body reacted the way a fire ignites from spontaneous combustion—hot, hard and fast. No amount of wet on the flame would be able to put down the sensual blaze that rose within him. He wanted Kristin McCoy as he’d never wanted any other woman in his life.

  She stretched on the bed, shifting toward him, and moaned softly. Her eyes blinked open. Beneath heavy eyelids, she focused on him.

  “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

  Slowly she processed his greeting. “You’re not a dream?”

  “In the flesh, princess.” Hard, aching flesh at the moment.

  “Oh, my…I thought—”

  “Nice way to wake up, isn’t it?” Before the arousal that darkened her eyes could fade away, he kissed her again. More deeply. More passionately. And allowed himself the pleasure of combing his fingers through her silken hair. Mentally, he inventoried the supply of condoms in the night-table drawer, congratulating himself for being prepared.

  He caught her moan in his mouth as she responded to his kiss, arching up to him. Her breasts, unfettered beneath her nightgown, brushed against his chest. Her tongue dueled with his in a sensual match of winner take all.

  From the hallway came the shout, “Hey, Suzie! Mike’s home!”

  Mike jumped back like he’d been goosed by a six-foot pole. “Damn,” he muttered.

  An instant later, Randy threw himself on the bed next to Kristin. The mattress bounced like a trampoline twice as Suzie landed right next to the boy.

  Mike had been wrong about nothing being able to dowse the blaze that had exploded in him. He felt like he’d been hit by an air tanker full of fire suppressant—and was damn well going to put a lock on his bedroom door the first chance he got.

  Kristin yanked the covers up to her chin. What on earth had she been thinking? One minute she’d been in the middle of the most erotic dream she’d ever experienced, then Mike had become one-hundr
ed-percent flesh and blood, seducing her even more completely than his dream image. Now she had a six-year-old boy and his dog bopping up and down on the bed next to her while her heart was doing its very best to fly out of her chest. Meanwhile, Mike had leaped to his feet, turning his back and the evidence of his arousal away from her and Randy. Thank goodness the boy hadn’t been aware of what was going on.

  Or would have gone on, given a few more minutes of Mike kissing her.

  “What’re we gonna do today, Mike?” the boy asked eagerly.

  Shedding his dark blue uniform shirt, Mike hung it on a hanger. His white T-shirt tugged across his back, outlining muscles and sinew that Kristin’s palms itched to caress. In her dream she’d done just that. And more.

  “I thought maybe we’d all go down to the boat, take a little ride around the harbor, hang out at the marina until dinnertime, then pick up a bite to eat somewhere.”

  “Cool! Can I steer the boat? Can I?”

  “We’ll see, big guy.”

  “I can’t go,” Kristin said in a whisper of regret.

  Both Randy and Mike turned toward her.

  “How come?” Randy asked.

  “I promised my mother I’d come to dinner today.” Even though her mother had gotten off the hook with Suzie, it still seemed politic for Kristin to keep her part of the bargain at least for one Sunday.

  “We could go with you,” Randy volunteered.

  “I don’t know…”

  “We’re not invited, son, so we can’t go,” Mike said, intervening.

  “It’s not that. I’m sure my mother would be happy to have you. She loves company. It’s just that—”

  “Then we can go, can’t we, Mike? Kristin’s mom has a big, big yard that Suzie can play in and stuff. She told me so. And we can go on the boat first.”

  Randy appeared quite confident he’d arranged their day for them to everyone’s benefit. His enthusiasm made him hard to argue with as he bounded off the bed, announcing “The last one ready to go is a smashed egg!”

  Mike eyed her from across the room. “We don’t have to go, princess. I know it might be a little hard to explain—”

  She lifted her chin. “There’s nothing to explain. My family knows that unusual situations can come up when you’re a social worker. We’ll simply tell them…the truth.”

  His lips canted into a temptingly wicked grin. “And just what might that truth be?”

  Kristin wasn’t entirely sure and didn’t want to examine the details too closely. “You can expect to be grilled by my brothers.”

  “You figure I’ll embarrass you?”

  “No, of course not. But I haven’t brought a man home since—”

  “The guy who fathered your baby? That’s a long time between significant others, princess.”

  Kristin knew that, and so did her family. Bringing Mike—and Randy—to dinner was bound to raise some eyebrows. Well, they’d have to get over it, she rationalized, because it didn’t mean that she and Mike had anything other than a professional relationship.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like a little privacy to get dressed. Then I have to call my mother. She likes to have some warning when there’s extra company coming for supper.”

  COLBY MCCOY, the older of the two brothers, handed Mike a beer shortly after they’d arrived for dinner. He had big shoulders, broad hands and a smile to match. “Kristin tells me you’ve got a boat down at the marina.”

  Mike twisted off the bottle cap and took a sip. “Twenty-four-foot cabin cruiser. I do a little scuba diving now and then.”

  Sitting on the porch railing, Jake McCoy sipped his beer, too. His hair was more auburn than his brother’s, but they both had mostly brown hair. “She said you saved her neck when her regulator broke.”

  “I think it stuck open. I should have checked it myself before I let her dive.”

  Both brothers nodded, acknowledging a major slip on Mike’s part that could have harmed their sister. They were only forgiving him because she’d made it topside safely.

  “You’ve known Krissy long?” Jake asked.

  “A while,” he answered noncommittally. He’d expected a third degree from Kristin’s family but he wasn’t sure what she’d told them about their relationship. If anything. Assuming they had a relationship beyond her professional caseworker job description. He was feeling damn uncomfortable about the whole conversation. He should have dropped Kristin off at her place and let her come alone.

  “We’re real proud of Krissy. Her college degree and all,” Jake pointed out.

  Mike eased into a forced smile. “Real protective, too, she tells me.”

  Colby chuckled and slapped Jake on the shoulder. “I think he has us figured out.”

  He did. Mike knew a close-knit family when he saw one. Over the years he’d had plenty of chances to envy them. Now was no exception. And, as usual, he was on the outside looking in.

  “Dinner, boys!” Mrs. McCoy called from inside the house.

  “Boys,” Colby muttered. “Thirty years old and to mom we’re still boys.”

  “That’s ’cause she can still tan our hides if she has a mind to,” Jake said with a laugh.

  In the dining room, Mike, Randy and Kristin sat opposite the two brothers. Mrs. McCoy was on Mike’s left and Archie McCoy, the graying senior member of the household claimed the chair of honor at the head of the table. Conversation went pretty well. Mike didn’t have to contribute much as the brothers joked back and forth, or occasionally talked to their father about business. It was only during dessert when they were all concentrating on the homemade peach cobbler that there was a lull in the conversation.

  “Kristin sleeps in Mike’s bed when she stays overnight at Mike’s place,” Randy piped up out of the blue.

  The silence that followed was heavier, more fraught with surprise than any other Mike had ever heard. It almost hurt his ears, the absence of sound was so intense. Every eye in the room was focused on Kristin as a scarlet blush rushed up her neck to her cheeks.

  “It’s not what you think,” she said breathlessly.

  Mrs. McCoy recovered quickly. “It’s all right, dear. We know times have changed and we try to be…understanding about young women having affairs.”

  “Mother!” Kristin gasped.

  “Well, she does,” Randy repeated when no one had appeared to take particular note of his comment. “It’s a big bed.”

  Embarrassed for Kristin, Mike cleared his throat and spoke quietly to Randy. “Why don’t you go outside and see how Suzie’s doing?”

  “I haven’t finished—”

  “Later, son. Suzie needs you now. Go.”

  The boy gave him a rebellious look but finally slid off his chair and made a dash for the door. It slammed closed behind him.

  “Mike, please—” Kristin began.

  “She and I are not sleeping in the same bed together,” Mike explained with exaggerated care, “which is the key word Randy omitted. But if we were, it would be only our business. And it’s not something I’m willing to discuss in front of the boy.”

  “We’re only concerned, young man,” Archie said.

  “I understand that, and I’m sorry Randy spoke out of turn.” What Mike understood all too clearly was that any family worth its salt would be concerned about their daughter sleeping with him. A guy who’d never been part of a family. One who didn’t belong. And he wanted to protect Kristin from the speculation, the distress, he saw in the eyes of everyone at the table.

  True, he’d wanted to get her into his bed. But he hadn’t managed to partner the operation. She shouldn’t take the heat for what he hadn’t achieved yet.

  And probably wouldn’t, given her family’s shocked response to Randy’s revelation.

  He glanced from the family back to Kristin. “It’s getting pretty close to Randy’s bedtime. Are you ready to go?”

  “I should help mother with the dishes—”

  “It’s all right, dear. You run along. The boys will he
lp me clean up.”

  “Hey, how’d we get stuck with kitchen duty?” Colby complained.

  “Because you’re both such sweet boys,” his mother informed him with a loving smile. “And Kristin doesn’t often bring a gentleman friend home for Sunday supper.”

  Thanking Mrs. McCoy for dinner, Mike excused himself from the table and offered his hand to Kristin. Her family had it all wrong. Randy had extended the invitation. Kristin had been manipulated into bringing them both to dinner.

  When Mike had been ten years old, he’d discovered he didn’t deserve love and a family. Ironic how some things never change, he thought as he rounded up Randy for the ride home.

  And it never stopped hurting, either.

  IT WAS AFTER eleven when she let herself into Mike’s apartment. A man shouldn’t give a woman a key if he didn’t expect her to use it, she rationalized. With barely a word, he’d driven her home. Then she’d stewed for hours before deciding what to do.

  She made her way through the darkened apartment, finding her way by the light that was spilling in through the window. Going upstairs, she veered away from Randy’s room toward Mike’s. Her footsteps, along with her confidence, faltered when she spotted him sprawled across his bed, his chest bare, a blanket twisted around his midsection as though he might not be wearing anything at all.

  Shaking on the inside, she closed the door behind her and wondered if she’d be able to go through with what she had in mind. Mike was so totally masculine, so very sure of himself, she wasn’t at all confident she’d measure up.

  “Mike?” she whispered, approaching the bed. “Are you awake?”

  “I think I’m dreaming,” came his low reply. “If I am, don’t wake me, okay? This is going to be a good one.”

  “I came to apologize for my family.”

  “There’s no need.”

  “My family is overprotective of me.”

  “They love you.”

  “That’s no excuse.” But love was the excuse she was using to justify her actions now, and the emotion filled both her heart and mind. No man had ever come forward to defend her as determinedly as Mike had. Sure, her brothers had bullied boys who’d been picking on her when they’d all been kids. But no other man besides Mike had ever defended her honor—or tried to. “My mother guessed right about one thing though.”