fear choking her as she screamed wildly, “Jamal? Where are you? Jamal!”
She ran into her room, screaming his name wildly, her eyes bouncing in every direction.
Her closet opened the tiniest bit and Jamal’s little face peeked out, his lower lip trembling as he said, “Mommy?”
“Oh, baby,” she screamed, relief coursing through her as she ran to scoop him into her arms. “My baby,” she whispered, bursting into tears as she feverishly kissed his curly hair and every inch of his beloved face.
“Don’t cry, Mommy. I’m okay,” Jamal assured her, patting her cheek with his little hands to reassure her.
Her bedroom door flew open before she could respond and she jumped and cowered, drawing Jamal protectively into her embrace as her eyes flew to the door.
It was Christian, she noted, relaxing.
“I came as soon as I could. Is he alright?” he asked, also kneeling beside her and taking Jamal into his own arms.
She watched with wide eyes as Christian lovingly kissed her son all over exactly as she had done and then he held the boy’s chin, gazing deep into his eyes and asking if he was hurt. Jamal shook his head and flung his little hands around Christian’s neck, hugging him tight.
In that moment, Tiana slid helplessly all the way in love with the ruggedly handsome cowboy who loved her son like his own.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“So they ruled the fire arson?” Tiana asked absently two weeks later as she bent over a new roster she was drawing up for the month.
She had taken to drawing up a chore roster for everyone in the kitchen each month and so far, it had worked wonderfully since the first roster. The kitchen was the size of a large conference room and she was seated at the large table for twenty at one corner of the kitchen. Some of the ranch hands preferred to eat in there while others preferred to eat in the dining room of the ranch house.
She smiled to herself as she looked around the kitchen; it looked nothing like the chaos she had walked into a month ago. Fewer quarrels broke out among the kitchen staff because everyone knew exactly what they had to do each day. The only fly in her ointment at this point, was this constant feeling of being watched. She had been unable to shake it for weeks, which was why she tended to become a permanent fixture in the kitchen these days it was the one place where she didn’t get that prickly sensation of being watched.
Lately, Christian had become an almost permanent fixture in the kitchen too, showing up at odd times unannounced, often to steal a scone or cupcake. One time, he even stole a kiss before ducking out of the kitchen. She loved not knowing just when he was going to show up. She also loved the way everyone seemed to treat him with affectionate respect and never fear, even though he was the boss of them all. She would never admit it but she was starting to look forward to the way he appeared without warning each day in the kitchen.
This was one such day. She had been preparing a duty roster for the twenty kitchen assistants when she heard his deep voice right behind her. A glow of warmth spread through her immediately but she had deliberately schooled her features into one of resignation as she looked up into his grinning ruggedly handsome face.
“The fire department did rule the fire arson,” he told her as he chewed an apple. “Now there will be hell to pay with the insurance investigators. They’re still trying to ascertain who was where, when. Of course I’m a prime suspect.”
“You?” she gasped.
“Well I stand to gain the most from the insurance thingy,” he said cheerfully as he bit into his apple once more.
His breezy unconcern gave her pause, and then she breathed, “Oh my God, you’re rich!”
“Huh?”
“That’s why you’re so unconcerned because one look at your bank account would tell anyone that whatever the insurance company pays you is a mere drop in the ocean.”
“Very good, Tiana,” he said
She ran into her room, screaming his name wildly, her eyes bouncing in every direction.
Her closet opened the tiniest bit and Jamal’s little face peeked out, his lower lip trembling as he said, “Mommy?”
“Oh, baby,” she screamed, relief coursing through her as she ran to scoop him into her arms. “My baby,” she whispered, bursting into tears as she feverishly kissed his curly hair and every inch of his beloved face.
“Don’t cry, Mommy. I’m okay,” Jamal assured her, patting her cheek with his little hands to reassure her.
Her bedroom door flew open before she could respond and she jumped and cowered, drawing Jamal protectively into her embrace as her eyes flew to the door.
It was Christian, she noted, relaxing.
“I came as soon as I could. Is he alright?” he asked, also kneeling beside her and taking Jamal into his own arms.
She watched with wide eyes as Christian lovingly kissed her son all over exactly as she had done and then he held the boy’s chin, gazing deep into his eyes and asking if he was hurt. Jamal shook his head and flung his little hands around Christian’s neck, hugging him tight.
In that moment, Tiana slid helplessly all the way in love with the ruggedly handsome cowboy who loved her son like his own.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“So they ruled the fire arson?” Tiana asked absently two weeks later as she bent over a new roster she was drawing up for the month.
She had taken to drawing up a chore roster for everyone in the kitchen each month and so far, it had worked wonderfully since the first roster. The kitchen was the size of a large conference room and she was seated at the large table for twenty at one corner of the kitchen. Some of the ranch hands preferred to eat in there while others preferred to eat in the dining room of the ranch house.
She smiled to herself as she looked around the kitchen; it looked nothing like the chaos she had walked into a month ago. Fewer quarrels broke out among the kitchen staff because everyone knew exactly what they had to do each day. The only fly in her ointment at this point, was this constant feeling of being watched. She had been unable to shake it for weeks, which was why she tended to become a permanent fixture in the kitchen these days it was the one place where she didn’t get that prickly sensation of being watched.
Lately, Christian had become an almost permanent fixture in the kitchen too, showing up at odd times unannounced, often to steal a scone or cupcake. One time, he even stole a kiss before ducking out of the kitchen. She loved not knowing just when he was going to show up. She also loved the way everyone seemed to treat him with affectionate respect and never fear, even though he was the boss of them all. She would never admit it but she was starting to look forward to the way he appeared without warning each day in the kitchen.
This was one such day. She had been preparing a duty roster for the twenty kitchen assistants when she heard his deep voice right behind her. A glow of warmth spread through her immediately but she had deliberately schooled her features into one of resignation as she looked up into his grinning ruggedly handsome face.
“The fire department did rule the fire arson,” he told her as he chewed an apple. “Now there will be hell to pay with the insurance investigators. They’re still trying to ascertain who was where, when. Of course I’m a prime suspect.”
“You?” she gasped.
“Well I stand to gain the most from the insurance thingy,” he said cheerfully as he bit into his apple once more.
His breezy unconcern gave her pause, and then she breathed, “Oh my God, you’re rich!”
“Huh?”
“That’s why you’re so unconcerned because one look at your bank account would tell anyone that whatever the insurance company pays you is a mere drop in the ocean.”
“Very good, Tiana,” he said
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