everywhere at once. Wow. Her attraction to him was getting out of hand.
She started to turn away, but his hand on her elbow stayed the movement. He withdrew as if the contact had hurt him somehow, and his slight flinch confirmed it. Well, that was clear enough. He obviously wasn’t attracted to her.
The painful realization brought her back to reality, and she prodded him a trifle sharply. “Sam, what is it?”
He took a deep breath, and expelled it. “I need you to marry me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
H e was an idiot to spring it on her like that. If Rosie’s indrawn breath weren’t clue enough, the color leaching from her face confirmed Sam’s idiocy.
She clutched at his forearms, her eyes registering shock.
He pulled her closer as a couple jogged past, discussing the balmy evening. Behind them, a family of four approached, the kids complaining about having to leave the park. Their rubber flip-flops scuffed against the concrete, the sound louder than usual in the sudden silence after his abrupt announcement.
“Let’s go,” he said, then leaned in to murmur, “You okay?”
Rosie glanced around them, blinked as if emerging from a trance, and nodded. A little color returned to her skin. The urge to offer comfort was strong, but the habit of keeping to himself overruled it.
Damn his hectic schedule. Always mindful that he was fighting the clock, he’d flung the idea at her as if tossing a ball. This wasn’t a situation he could rush. It required a little finesse, something he didn’t have time for, but had to manage anyway.
Not a word was said on the walk home.
He dreaded the explanation she was sure to demand. No need getting too detailed. She probably wouldn’t marry him anyway. Other than the money, which he was perfectly willing to loan her regardless, there was no reason for her to commit herself to something so outrageous. Still, on the odd chance she might accept, he had to give it his best shot. For Lorelei.
They’d barely set foot onto Rosie’s property when his daughter whined again. She’d refused to take a nap and had been cranky all afternoon.
“I need to get her to bed. Can we talk about this after she’s asleep?” His gaze met Rosie’s long enough to recognize the relief there. Damn. She didn’t want to have this conversation any more than he did.
“Sure.”
He took Lorelei from the stroller, tiny arms slipping around his neck. The trust in her gaze eased his tension. Right now she was his priority. “Back porch? Half hour?”
Rosie nodded.
As it happened, ten minutes was all Sam needed. Lorelei turned on the waterworks when he headed for the bathtub, and he made a command decision to put her straight to bed. After all, it wasn’t like she’d actually played in the park or gotten dirty.
Once he’d pulled on her nightie and tucked her in, she turned over and fell asleep with a sigh. He smoothed the hair back from her face and watched her for a few moments.
This time I’ll do right by you, baby. I promise. Visions of the tear-streaked, filthy baby he’d come home to after a business trip had him clenching his fists. He’d grasped at a quick fix last time, flinging hush money around, desperate that Lorelei be protected from the backlash of a scandal, and in some ways had made things worse now. He had to do this. Jasmine couldn’t be allowed unsupervised visitation with Lorelei—ever.
Sam found Rosie on a wicker chaise. Light spilled softly through a nearby window, creating an air of intimacy he would have appreciated, maybe even encouraged under different circumstances.
“Thank you for waiting.” Ouch. That sounded too formal, but he’d expected to have a few more minutes to get his thoughts together. Wicker crackled under his weight as he sat and unfolded his legs on the length of the matching lounger.
When Rosie didn’t respond, he ventured a glance. She stared into the night, chin tilted at a stubborn angle. He’d seen that look before. Usually when she was
She started to turn away, but his hand on her elbow stayed the movement. He withdrew as if the contact had hurt him somehow, and his slight flinch confirmed it. Well, that was clear enough. He obviously wasn’t attracted to her.
The painful realization brought her back to reality, and she prodded him a trifle sharply. “Sam, what is it?”
He took a deep breath, and expelled it. “I need you to marry me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
H e was an idiot to spring it on her like that. If Rosie’s indrawn breath weren’t clue enough, the color leaching from her face confirmed Sam’s idiocy.
She clutched at his forearms, her eyes registering shock.
He pulled her closer as a couple jogged past, discussing the balmy evening. Behind them, a family of four approached, the kids complaining about having to leave the park. Their rubber flip-flops scuffed against the concrete, the sound louder than usual in the sudden silence after his abrupt announcement.
“Let’s go,” he said, then leaned in to murmur, “You okay?”
Rosie glanced around them, blinked as if emerging from a trance, and nodded. A little color returned to her skin. The urge to offer comfort was strong, but the habit of keeping to himself overruled it.
Damn his hectic schedule. Always mindful that he was fighting the clock, he’d flung the idea at her as if tossing a ball. This wasn’t a situation he could rush. It required a little finesse, something he didn’t have time for, but had to manage anyway.
Not a word was said on the walk home.
He dreaded the explanation she was sure to demand. No need getting too detailed. She probably wouldn’t marry him anyway. Other than the money, which he was perfectly willing to loan her regardless, there was no reason for her to commit herself to something so outrageous. Still, on the odd chance she might accept, he had to give it his best shot. For Lorelei.
They’d barely set foot onto Rosie’s property when his daughter whined again. She’d refused to take a nap and had been cranky all afternoon.
“I need to get her to bed. Can we talk about this after she’s asleep?” His gaze met Rosie’s long enough to recognize the relief there. Damn. She didn’t want to have this conversation any more than he did.
“Sure.”
He took Lorelei from the stroller, tiny arms slipping around his neck. The trust in her gaze eased his tension. Right now she was his priority. “Back porch? Half hour?”
Rosie nodded.
As it happened, ten minutes was all Sam needed. Lorelei turned on the waterworks when he headed for the bathtub, and he made a command decision to put her straight to bed. After all, it wasn’t like she’d actually played in the park or gotten dirty.
Once he’d pulled on her nightie and tucked her in, she turned over and fell asleep with a sigh. He smoothed the hair back from her face and watched her for a few moments.
This time I’ll do right by you, baby. I promise. Visions of the tear-streaked, filthy baby he’d come home to after a business trip had him clenching his fists. He’d grasped at a quick fix last time, flinging hush money around, desperate that Lorelei be protected from the backlash of a scandal, and in some ways had made things worse now. He had to do this. Jasmine couldn’t be allowed unsupervised visitation with Lorelei—ever.
Sam found Rosie on a wicker chaise. Light spilled softly through a nearby window, creating an air of intimacy he would have appreciated, maybe even encouraged under different circumstances.
“Thank you for waiting.” Ouch. That sounded too formal, but he’d expected to have a few more minutes to get his thoughts together. Wicker crackled under his weight as he sat and unfolded his legs on the length of the matching lounger.
When Rosie didn’t respond, he ventured a glance. She stared into the night, chin tilted at a stubborn angle. He’d seen that look before. Usually when she was
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