material of her green blouse. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to quickly look up again. He couldn’t be caught staring at her. “I’ll get you a beer.” He walked over to the refrigerator and tried to ignore his memory’s instant replay of Katherine poised above him, her breasts quivering with each upward thrust he made.
By the time he returned to the table with a foaming glass of beer in one hand and his mug of coffee in the other, he’d calmed himself.
“Thank you.” She gave him a brief smile.
He realized that her smiles were in short supply this trip, too. He’d been proud of himself when he’d made her smile the first time after fishing her out of the river. She’d been so damned scared that she hadn’t been able to stop shaking. He’d asked her country-bumpkin questions about life in the big city until at long last he’d coaxed her into smiling a little. That was the first moment he’d realized that he wanted more than a smile from her.
He’d never in a million years have guessed that such a moment could lead him to this. Silently he gazed at Katherine as she sat across the table from him. She’d taken Amanda out of the sling, and now she tucked the baby in the crook of her arm as she sipped her beer. A bit of foam clung to her upper lip and she licked it away with her tongue. An arrow of desire shot straight to Zeke’s groin. He’d have to get her out of here soon.
He took a bracing drink of his coffee and realized how much he’d hate to give up coffee if he were in her shoes. A mother’s self-sacrificing behavior held a certain fascination for him, probably because he hadn’t experienced any from his own mother. At least none he knew of. At Lost Springs they’d tried to convince him that his mother had been self-sacrificing when she’d left him at the ranch. It hadn’t felt that way then, and it still didn’t.
“So what would you like me to tell Amanda about you?” Katherine asked.
He picked up his sandwich. “Persistent, aren’t we?”
“I figure I won’t get another shot at this.”
He paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Tell her I was a selfish son of a gun who wasn’t cut out to be a father.” He bit into the sandwich.
“I’d like to tell her that you saved my life.”
He glanced up.
“Without you I wouldn’t be here now,” she said quietly. “And neither would she. And I don’t want to deliberately lie to her. You’re not selfish.”
He chewed and swallowed. “Sure I am. If I weren’t, I’d want some sort of joint custody.”
She gazed at him. “I don’t believe that you’re denying yourself that out of selfishness. I think...” Her voice trailed off as her expression softened.
He didn’t want to ask what she was thinking when she looked like that. He’d seen that expression before, and he was no match for it. “You’d better eat that sandwich,” he said a little too gruffly. “Keep up your strength.”
Almost like an obedient child she picked up the sandwich, but having only the use of one hand, she fumbled with it. Some of the filling spilled out as she tried to maneuver it to her mouth.
She obviously needed some help so she could eat properly, but Zeke didn’t want to volunteer to hold Amanda. Funny things happened to his insides whenever he ended up touching that baby. “Would you like me to get her seat out of the truck?” he asked.
Katherine glanced outside where the rain cascaded off the front porch roof in a continuous waterfall. “No sense in going back out in that until it lets up. But I could put her on your bed, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“She won’t roll off?”
“She can’t roll yet.” Katherine pushed back her chair and stood, holding Amanda in both arms.
“Today might be her day to start.”
“Not likely. I’ll put her blanket and changing pad on your bedspread to protect it.”
“I’m not worried about that. I just think it’s dangerous to leave her there with no rails on the bed or
By the time he returned to the table with a foaming glass of beer in one hand and his mug of coffee in the other, he’d calmed himself.
“Thank you.” She gave him a brief smile.
He realized that her smiles were in short supply this trip, too. He’d been proud of himself when he’d made her smile the first time after fishing her out of the river. She’d been so damned scared that she hadn’t been able to stop shaking. He’d asked her country-bumpkin questions about life in the big city until at long last he’d coaxed her into smiling a little. That was the first moment he’d realized that he wanted more than a smile from her.
He’d never in a million years have guessed that such a moment could lead him to this. Silently he gazed at Katherine as she sat across the table from him. She’d taken Amanda out of the sling, and now she tucked the baby in the crook of her arm as she sipped her beer. A bit of foam clung to her upper lip and she licked it away with her tongue. An arrow of desire shot straight to Zeke’s groin. He’d have to get her out of here soon.
He took a bracing drink of his coffee and realized how much he’d hate to give up coffee if he were in her shoes. A mother’s self-sacrificing behavior held a certain fascination for him, probably because he hadn’t experienced any from his own mother. At least none he knew of. At Lost Springs they’d tried to convince him that his mother had been self-sacrificing when she’d left him at the ranch. It hadn’t felt that way then, and it still didn’t.
“So what would you like me to tell Amanda about you?” Katherine asked.
He picked up his sandwich. “Persistent, aren’t we?”
“I figure I won’t get another shot at this.”
He paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Tell her I was a selfish son of a gun who wasn’t cut out to be a father.” He bit into the sandwich.
“I’d like to tell her that you saved my life.”
He glanced up.
“Without you I wouldn’t be here now,” she said quietly. “And neither would she. And I don’t want to deliberately lie to her. You’re not selfish.”
He chewed and swallowed. “Sure I am. If I weren’t, I’d want some sort of joint custody.”
She gazed at him. “I don’t believe that you’re denying yourself that out of selfishness. I think...” Her voice trailed off as her expression softened.
He didn’t want to ask what she was thinking when she looked like that. He’d seen that expression before, and he was no match for it. “You’d better eat that sandwich,” he said a little too gruffly. “Keep up your strength.”
Almost like an obedient child she picked up the sandwich, but having only the use of one hand, she fumbled with it. Some of the filling spilled out as she tried to maneuver it to her mouth.
She obviously needed some help so she could eat properly, but Zeke didn’t want to volunteer to hold Amanda. Funny things happened to his insides whenever he ended up touching that baby. “Would you like me to get her seat out of the truck?” he asked.
Katherine glanced outside where the rain cascaded off the front porch roof in a continuous waterfall. “No sense in going back out in that until it lets up. But I could put her on your bed, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“She won’t roll off?”
“She can’t roll yet.” Katherine pushed back her chair and stood, holding Amanda in both arms.
“Today might be her day to start.”
“Not likely. I’ll put her blanket and changing pad on your bedspread to protect it.”
“I’m not worried about that. I just think it’s dangerous to leave her there with no rails on the bed or
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