in her stomach. At the rate this conversation was going, she’d be lucky to choke down any lunch at all.
“Fine, you win,” he conceded. “We’ll stick to the mundane. Seen any good movies lately?”
“No, but I’ve read a couple of books I could recommend.”
“I read a book—once. Of course, it was because a teacher made me…”
Miranda laughed as she reached over to grab Jackson by the seat of his jeans and haul him back onto the blanket. He squealed in protest, but accepted the bowl of cut up fruit she handed him. Holding a grape half, he squished it between his fingers before popping it into his mouth.
“Don’t pretend you’re illiterate. You probably read more books in a month than I do.”
“Maybe. It was a long, lonely winter.”
“Cole, I’m warning you—”
His hands shot up in a show of penance. “I’m sorry. Well, maybe not that sorry. You’re pretty when you’re all riled up.”
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “And you’re irrepressible. But just to show I’m above squabbling like a couple of four year olds, I’ll ignore that comment.”
After finishing their lunch and packing up the remains, they leaned back on their elbows and talked about the vegetables she intended to plant alongside the flowers in her garden and the trio of bears he’d been commissioned to carve. When the sunlight dimmed, she turned to face the West where big, fat, billowing clouds took on a gray underbelly like marshmallows held too close to a flame.
“Looks like rain.” Cole nodded at Jackson, who’d fallen asleep between them on the quilt. “Maybe we should wake him.”
Miranda stroked the silky curls peeking out from beneath the square white bandage. Long, auburn lashes fanned his smooth cheek, and his mouth worked in a sucking motion.
“I hate to when he looks so utterly peaceful, but I don’t want to get drenched, either.”
Rising to his feet in one smooth movement, Cole gave her a hand up. His palm was warm and a little rough as it curled around her fingers. With an extra tug, he brought her close against his chest.
“Oops, I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
For a moment, she leaned into him. The afternoon had been relaxing, but stimulating at the same time, like the man standing before her. With Cole, there was always the question of what he’d say next, what he’d do next…
His free hand rose to touch her hair before his thumb stroked along her jaw in a whisper soft caress that sent a quiver sliding through her.
Drawing in a breath, she forced herself to step back. “Why don’t you get the horses while I wake Jackson?”
A pained look flashed through his eyes and was gone. “Sure.”
When he released her and turned away, she pressed shaking hands against her thighs to steady herself. After a long moment, she bent and picked up the rose, then lifted Jackson into her arms and hugged him close, breathing in his clean, baby scent.
No more innocent outings with a man who had the power to trample her heart beneath his boots. She’d been a fool to think she could spend time with Cole without falling in love with him all over again. Truth was, it would be a short drop into heartache. She touched the rose to her lips. Because she’d never stopped loving him the first time around.
Chapter Six
Nap time. Amazingly, every one of the dozen children at Sugar ’n‘ Spice was fast asleep. Pulling the door to the room full of cribs partially closed, Miranda tiptoed through the occupied sleeping mats in the main room to the kitchen corner where Jenna was heating her lunch in the microwave. With a practiced hand, she stopped the timer two seconds before it beeped and pulled out the bowl of steaming soup.
After retrieving her tuna sandwich from the refrigerator, Miranda dropped onto a chair and spoke in a low voice, “Smells yummy.”
“Homemade minestrone. I had an attack of domesticity yesterday afternoon.”
“I didn’t have time to cook, but I did get my petunias
“Fine, you win,” he conceded. “We’ll stick to the mundane. Seen any good movies lately?”
“No, but I’ve read a couple of books I could recommend.”
“I read a book—once. Of course, it was because a teacher made me…”
Miranda laughed as she reached over to grab Jackson by the seat of his jeans and haul him back onto the blanket. He squealed in protest, but accepted the bowl of cut up fruit she handed him. Holding a grape half, he squished it between his fingers before popping it into his mouth.
“Don’t pretend you’re illiterate. You probably read more books in a month than I do.”
“Maybe. It was a long, lonely winter.”
“Cole, I’m warning you—”
His hands shot up in a show of penance. “I’m sorry. Well, maybe not that sorry. You’re pretty when you’re all riled up.”
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “And you’re irrepressible. But just to show I’m above squabbling like a couple of four year olds, I’ll ignore that comment.”
After finishing their lunch and packing up the remains, they leaned back on their elbows and talked about the vegetables she intended to plant alongside the flowers in her garden and the trio of bears he’d been commissioned to carve. When the sunlight dimmed, she turned to face the West where big, fat, billowing clouds took on a gray underbelly like marshmallows held too close to a flame.
“Looks like rain.” Cole nodded at Jackson, who’d fallen asleep between them on the quilt. “Maybe we should wake him.”
Miranda stroked the silky curls peeking out from beneath the square white bandage. Long, auburn lashes fanned his smooth cheek, and his mouth worked in a sucking motion.
“I hate to when he looks so utterly peaceful, but I don’t want to get drenched, either.”
Rising to his feet in one smooth movement, Cole gave her a hand up. His palm was warm and a little rough as it curled around her fingers. With an extra tug, he brought her close against his chest.
“Oops, I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
For a moment, she leaned into him. The afternoon had been relaxing, but stimulating at the same time, like the man standing before her. With Cole, there was always the question of what he’d say next, what he’d do next…
His free hand rose to touch her hair before his thumb stroked along her jaw in a whisper soft caress that sent a quiver sliding through her.
Drawing in a breath, she forced herself to step back. “Why don’t you get the horses while I wake Jackson?”
A pained look flashed through his eyes and was gone. “Sure.”
When he released her and turned away, she pressed shaking hands against her thighs to steady herself. After a long moment, she bent and picked up the rose, then lifted Jackson into her arms and hugged him close, breathing in his clean, baby scent.
No more innocent outings with a man who had the power to trample her heart beneath his boots. She’d been a fool to think she could spend time with Cole without falling in love with him all over again. Truth was, it would be a short drop into heartache. She touched the rose to her lips. Because she’d never stopped loving him the first time around.
Chapter Six
Nap time. Amazingly, every one of the dozen children at Sugar ’n‘ Spice was fast asleep. Pulling the door to the room full of cribs partially closed, Miranda tiptoed through the occupied sleeping mats in the main room to the kitchen corner where Jenna was heating her lunch in the microwave. With a practiced hand, she stopped the timer two seconds before it beeped and pulled out the bowl of steaming soup.
After retrieving her tuna sandwich from the refrigerator, Miranda dropped onto a chair and spoke in a low voice, “Smells yummy.”
“Homemade minestrone. I had an attack of domesticity yesterday afternoon.”
“I didn’t have time to cook, but I did get my petunias
Similar Books
