he even liked her. But he wasn’t interested in sleeping with her.
And rational thought told him that he and Allie didn’t have anything in common other than they were neighbors. They would be friends.
Being friends didn’t mean he couldn’t admire that she was cute when she was in the midst of a hissy fit, but that didn’t mean he wanted her.
He whacked another nail and again missed, this time hitting the back of his hand.
“Yep, you’re about as good with a hammer as you are with your fists,” Patrick said as Ian swore.
Ian’s head was beginning to ache more than his hand, but that was all the aching he was going to do. He didn’t want Alexandra McGraw, and that stirring of desire he felt wasn’t an ache; it was just lust, and Ian didn’t have time for lust.
He turned back to the shelves and tried to put a certain black-haired woman out of his mind.
But he didn’t meet with much success, he really didn’t expect to.
And he really wasn’t sure he wanted to.
CHAPTER FOUR
Allie didn’t have permission, but when had that ever stopped her from doing anything? The answer was never. She wrapped her jacket snugly around her chest and walked confidently down the hall.
Nurse Mary Sunshine glared at her from the nurses’ station. Just her rotten luck. Deciding to be brazen, Allie waved cheerily and let herself into Anne’s room. She’d tried to play by the book and get the doctor’s permission, but she hadn’t been able to reach him yet.
“Hi,” she said.
Anne smiled. “Allie,” she said, pleasure overshadowing the pain for the moment.
Ian turned and glared. “Where’s Ryane? You said you could keep her and . . .”
Allie whipped open her coat. “Ta-da,” she said, bowing her head with flourish.
“Allie, the nurses said she couldn’t come,” Anne stage-whispered.
“Well, the doctor might have said yes if I had reached him, and I, for one, am going on the assumption that he would have, so here we are.” She moved to the side of the bed and plucked the baby from the sling. “Someone wanted to see her mom before the surgery and who was I to say no?”
“Come here, sweetie,” Anne said. There were tears in her eyes and she picked up the baby.
Allie felt choked up and shot Ian a look she used to use on her brothers. “Why don’t we go over there and talk.”
She turned to Anne. “Will you be okay?”
“We’re fine,” Anne whispered, totally engrossed in her daughter.
“What?” Ian asked, glancing nervously at Anne and the baby.
“I just wanted to give them some privacy.”
“Why did you bring Ryane? Couldn’t you get in trouble? You work here, after all.” Ian looked concerned.
“Sometimes rules were made to be broken,” Allie said gaily.
Ian appeared to sneer. “Yes, I imagine you’d see it that way.”
“And you don’t,” she stated more than asked.
“I believe in the rules.” He glanced over his shoulder and Allie’s gaze followed his. Anne was delightedly kissing the baby, cooing at her. “But I also think sometimes the rules should be bent.”
“You don’t strike me as a man who bends often,” Allie said softly. “If you bent, you might accidentally lean in closer to someone, and you wouldn’t want that.”
“Are you saying I’m Allie-enating?”
There was that same hint of a smile that made Allie think his odd pronunciation might have been intentional. Alienating. Allie-enating?
She looked at him closely. “You’re joking aren’t you?” She moved closer yet and peered into his eyes. “You are, aren’t you?”
“I never joke,” he said, his face still serious.
She was sure that he was joking and smiled. “Yeah, so you say.”
“You know what else I say?” he asked.
“Hm?”
“Thank you.” He looked at her with accusation this time. “I seem to be saying that to you a lot.”
“Ah, you’ll get used to it. My brothers did . . . eventually.” She laughed. It was not a very mature, career-woman sound, but Allie had
And rational thought told him that he and Allie didn’t have anything in common other than they were neighbors. They would be friends.
Being friends didn’t mean he couldn’t admire that she was cute when she was in the midst of a hissy fit, but that didn’t mean he wanted her.
He whacked another nail and again missed, this time hitting the back of his hand.
“Yep, you’re about as good with a hammer as you are with your fists,” Patrick said as Ian swore.
Ian’s head was beginning to ache more than his hand, but that was all the aching he was going to do. He didn’t want Alexandra McGraw, and that stirring of desire he felt wasn’t an ache; it was just lust, and Ian didn’t have time for lust.
He turned back to the shelves and tried to put a certain black-haired woman out of his mind.
But he didn’t meet with much success, he really didn’t expect to.
And he really wasn’t sure he wanted to.
CHAPTER FOUR
Allie didn’t have permission, but when had that ever stopped her from doing anything? The answer was never. She wrapped her jacket snugly around her chest and walked confidently down the hall.
Nurse Mary Sunshine glared at her from the nurses’ station. Just her rotten luck. Deciding to be brazen, Allie waved cheerily and let herself into Anne’s room. She’d tried to play by the book and get the doctor’s permission, but she hadn’t been able to reach him yet.
“Hi,” she said.
Anne smiled. “Allie,” she said, pleasure overshadowing the pain for the moment.
Ian turned and glared. “Where’s Ryane? You said you could keep her and . . .”
Allie whipped open her coat. “Ta-da,” she said, bowing her head with flourish.
“Allie, the nurses said she couldn’t come,” Anne stage-whispered.
“Well, the doctor might have said yes if I had reached him, and I, for one, am going on the assumption that he would have, so here we are.” She moved to the side of the bed and plucked the baby from the sling. “Someone wanted to see her mom before the surgery and who was I to say no?”
“Come here, sweetie,” Anne said. There were tears in her eyes and she picked up the baby.
Allie felt choked up and shot Ian a look she used to use on her brothers. “Why don’t we go over there and talk.”
She turned to Anne. “Will you be okay?”
“We’re fine,” Anne whispered, totally engrossed in her daughter.
“What?” Ian asked, glancing nervously at Anne and the baby.
“I just wanted to give them some privacy.”
“Why did you bring Ryane? Couldn’t you get in trouble? You work here, after all.” Ian looked concerned.
“Sometimes rules were made to be broken,” Allie said gaily.
Ian appeared to sneer. “Yes, I imagine you’d see it that way.”
“And you don’t,” she stated more than asked.
“I believe in the rules.” He glanced over his shoulder and Allie’s gaze followed his. Anne was delightedly kissing the baby, cooing at her. “But I also think sometimes the rules should be bent.”
“You don’t strike me as a man who bends often,” Allie said softly. “If you bent, you might accidentally lean in closer to someone, and you wouldn’t want that.”
“Are you saying I’m Allie-enating?”
There was that same hint of a smile that made Allie think his odd pronunciation might have been intentional. Alienating. Allie-enating?
She looked at him closely. “You’re joking aren’t you?” She moved closer yet and peered into his eyes. “You are, aren’t you?”
“I never joke,” he said, his face still serious.
She was sure that he was joking and smiled. “Yeah, so you say.”
“You know what else I say?” he asked.
“Hm?”
“Thank you.” He looked at her with accusation this time. “I seem to be saying that to you a lot.”
“Ah, you’ll get used to it. My brothers did . . . eventually.” She laughed. It was not a very mature, career-woman sound, but Allie had
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