or bite your fingers with razor-sharp puppy teeth, but he had picked her up easily, gently, and now stood in her kitchen with Casey Mae cradled in the nook of his elbow, rubbing her bald puppy belly. Hmm. There’s more to you than meets the eye, Sam… Sam what? She still didn’t even know his last name!
“Sam, I don’t know your last name.” She looked at him, put four scoops of grounds into the coffee maker and pressed the ‘on’ button.
He grinned, still rubbing Casey’s tummy. “Kelley. Sam Kelley. Can you believe this broad? She’s going to marry me and she doesn’t even know my name!”
Jenny instantly gasped in victory and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her as she turned to him, smiling with glee.
He snapped his head up from Casey and the look on his face said it all, but she couldn’t resist declaring a winner.
“You just broke our deal, Mr. Kelley.”
Chapter 4
Damn! She was right. He had slipped up and teased her.
“Oh, come on!” His face was a play in indignation. “I was talking to Casey, not you!”
“Fair’s fair,” Jenny responded in a sing-song voice, moving from the kitchen into the living room where her laptop sat on a coffee table in front of a cheery floral loveseat.
“Okay. Uncle. What’s my punishment?” Following her tempting body into the living room, Sam briefly fantasized about having his “punishment” in her bedroom. He’d let her do just about whatever she wanted with him. His heart kicked into a gallop at the fleeting fantasy and he shook his head, turning his glance back down to Casey.
Stop thinking about her like that!
Jenny sat down on the loveseat and pulled up her legs, crossing them Indian-style and shifting the laptop onto her thighs. Sam stared at her for a moment before telling his mind to quit looking at her lap
Quit looking at her altogether. Look somewhere else, damn it!
“Did you notice the big sign hanging over town as we strolled home?” she asked him with a grin.
Cute . “Yeah. Something about a Christmas Stroll? Want me to take you?” he asked hopefully, leaning against the kitchen doorway, cradling Casey.
“Why, Sam! That would hardly be a punishment ,” she said, baiting him, dancing eyes daring him to contradict her. “I want you to help me set up the booth for my school tomorrow.”
“Does this require waking up early?”
“I’m afraid so,” she responded, grinning wickedly. “And some heavy lifting too. I asked my brothers, but they all work nights, so none of them was very excited to volunteer.”
“Wow. You really take a pound of flesh!” He segued quickly from sexy to playful in his head, finding he enjoyed the banter between them.
“You said you wouldn’t tease me, and you did.” She opened her laptop and let it warm up for a moment. She seemed to stare at a spot on the opposite wall for a second, lost in thought. “It bothers me.”
He placed Casey back in her playpen and sighed, crossing the room to sit down next to her. “Hey…I can’t help it. I tease. That’s just how I—”
“Oh! Not that.” She turned to him with serious eyes, and as her shoulder brushed his he realized how close they were sitting next to each other. “I mean, I don’t love your teasing, but I’m the youngest of four. I can handle it whether I like it or not.” She paused, furrowing her brows in thought, then continued softly. “What bothers me is the vows.”
“Saying the vows for Ingrid and Kris?”
“Yes and no. I mean, I want to help Ingrid. I’ve known her since we were little girls and I love her. It’s just…saying those words. You know. For the first time with…”
“With me,” he supplied, searching her face to understand her better. Looking at her eyes he realized that what she was saying stung a little, which made no sense at all.
“Yes. But, not because you’re not perfectly nice—”
“Oh, I’m perfectly nice?”
“No. I mean, yes . You’re…well, you’re fine. That’s not
“Sam, I don’t know your last name.” She looked at him, put four scoops of grounds into the coffee maker and pressed the ‘on’ button.
He grinned, still rubbing Casey’s tummy. “Kelley. Sam Kelley. Can you believe this broad? She’s going to marry me and she doesn’t even know my name!”
Jenny instantly gasped in victory and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her as she turned to him, smiling with glee.
He snapped his head up from Casey and the look on his face said it all, but she couldn’t resist declaring a winner.
“You just broke our deal, Mr. Kelley.”
Chapter 4
Damn! She was right. He had slipped up and teased her.
“Oh, come on!” His face was a play in indignation. “I was talking to Casey, not you!”
“Fair’s fair,” Jenny responded in a sing-song voice, moving from the kitchen into the living room where her laptop sat on a coffee table in front of a cheery floral loveseat.
“Okay. Uncle. What’s my punishment?” Following her tempting body into the living room, Sam briefly fantasized about having his “punishment” in her bedroom. He’d let her do just about whatever she wanted with him. His heart kicked into a gallop at the fleeting fantasy and he shook his head, turning his glance back down to Casey.
Stop thinking about her like that!
Jenny sat down on the loveseat and pulled up her legs, crossing them Indian-style and shifting the laptop onto her thighs. Sam stared at her for a moment before telling his mind to quit looking at her lap
Quit looking at her altogether. Look somewhere else, damn it!
“Did you notice the big sign hanging over town as we strolled home?” she asked him with a grin.
Cute . “Yeah. Something about a Christmas Stroll? Want me to take you?” he asked hopefully, leaning against the kitchen doorway, cradling Casey.
“Why, Sam! That would hardly be a punishment ,” she said, baiting him, dancing eyes daring him to contradict her. “I want you to help me set up the booth for my school tomorrow.”
“Does this require waking up early?”
“I’m afraid so,” she responded, grinning wickedly. “And some heavy lifting too. I asked my brothers, but they all work nights, so none of them was very excited to volunteer.”
“Wow. You really take a pound of flesh!” He segued quickly from sexy to playful in his head, finding he enjoyed the banter between them.
“You said you wouldn’t tease me, and you did.” She opened her laptop and let it warm up for a moment. She seemed to stare at a spot on the opposite wall for a second, lost in thought. “It bothers me.”
He placed Casey back in her playpen and sighed, crossing the room to sit down next to her. “Hey…I can’t help it. I tease. That’s just how I—”
“Oh! Not that.” She turned to him with serious eyes, and as her shoulder brushed his he realized how close they were sitting next to each other. “I mean, I don’t love your teasing, but I’m the youngest of four. I can handle it whether I like it or not.” She paused, furrowing her brows in thought, then continued softly. “What bothers me is the vows.”
“Saying the vows for Ingrid and Kris?”
“Yes and no. I mean, I want to help Ingrid. I’ve known her since we were little girls and I love her. It’s just…saying those words. You know. For the first time with…”
“With me,” he supplied, searching her face to understand her better. Looking at her eyes he realized that what she was saying stung a little, which made no sense at all.
“Yes. But, not because you’re not perfectly nice—”
“Oh, I’m perfectly nice?”
“No. I mean, yes . You’re…well, you’re fine. That’s not
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