Eden's Twilight. James Axler
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Megan got engaged, I don’t see as much of her as I used to.”
“That happened recently?”
“July. She and Greg are getting married on New Year’s Eve.” Angela sighed. “I’m going to miss her when she moves out.”
“Is she moving far away?”
“No, they’ll be staying in Rosewood. But…it won’t be the same. She was a great support after my divorce. She’s my best friend.”
He was listening to her, looking at her as if he understood every word she said. When had a man ever listened to her? Really listened?
He’s younger than you, a scolding voice in her head warned her. And you have three kids, it added, as if the age difference weren’t enough.
However, David was looking at her as if they were the only two people on earth. Her fingers practically itched to sift through his brown blond hair that fell rakishly over his brow. The scent of his aftershave drew her closer, as did the gold sparks in his hazel eyes.
He lifted his arm…
Was he going to touch her cheek? Was he going to bend his head and kiss her?
The zip of sexual attraction bounced between them as she waited breathlessly.
Chapter Two
David knew he had to deep-six any desire he felt for this woman. Escaping from whatever had come over him, he straightened and took a healthy step away from her. “I’d better get the milk going.”
She blinked those very blue eyes at him. What was it about Angela Schumacher that got to him?
“Sure.” A look of self-protective pride spread over her face, mixing with another emotion. Disappointment maybe?
They weren’t going to talk about what almost happened. That would make it more real. At this point, he could turn off his attraction to her and set himself on the right course. He was here because of her son.
End of story.
She busied herself wrapping cookies in tin foil. “Sledding will be a real treat for the kids today. Last year we only went twice. Did you go often as a kid?”
The questions about his background shouldn’t have thrown him, but they did. He didn’t know how much he wanted to reveal. It wasn’t as if he had anything to hide—his life was an open book, if anybody wanted to look. But his life hadn’t ended up where he thought it would, and there had been disappointments along the way for him, as well as his family.
“We lived on a farm, so there were a lot of places to go sledding.”
“What kind of farm?” She looked genuinely interested.
“A dairy farm. Dad still keeps it all running, but I don’t know how much longer he can do that.”
“What about your mom?”
“She died when I was in my teens—of ovarian cancer.”
“I’m so sorry. Losing a parent is rough. My parents were divorced, and I didn’t see my dad much after that. It’s not nearly the same thing, but it’s why I know how Anthony feels,” she said.
“We’ll see if we can’t do something about that, starting today.”
The smile she gave him tightened his gut and made other physical reactions start happening, too. He wondered if she knew what a powerful punch she packed as a woman.
He was going to stay out of striking range.
By the time he and Angela finished in the kitchen, the kids were dressed and ready to go. Anthony wasn’t coming anywhere near David, but that was okay.
Angela had taken a few minutes to slip into ski pants and a jacket. The outfit was a brilliant turquoise with a yellow stripe. She was petite but not demure. Feminine, yet not passive. He thought of the fiancée who’d left him because his career had been ruined…because she’d wanted some of the fame his dad had dreamed of for him. Jessica’s leaving while he’d worked in rehab to regain use of his leg had seemed like a crushing defeat. Fate double dealing him. At twenty-eight, he still couldn’t figure out women, and for the past couple of years had stopped trying. He dated, but never seriously. Sometimes he felt as if he were out of step with the rest of the men of his generation who hopped from one woman’s bed to another, as if sex and relationships were some kind of game. Maybe it was his upbringing, but he’d never felt like that.
A half hour later, as David unloaded his toboggan from the rack on his SUV, he saw Angela lifting a saucer from her van. Michael grabbed it and, struggling with it, took off through the cluster of kids and adults at the top of the hill.
“Michael, wait,” Angela called after him.
David hollered over to her, “I’ll watch out for him. Take your time.” He started off toward Michael.
Soon he was aware of Anthony following, a good ten feet behind him. This Big Brother thing was going to be a hard sell. But if he didn’t push, the nine-year-old might come around. Most kids did because they missed the male figure in their life who wasn’t there anymore…because they felt as if a piece of their life was missing.
The next hour seemed to fly by in a mixture of runs down the hill, trudges back up, laughter and adrenaline rushes—mostly because of getting too close to Angela, not the speed of sledding down the hill.
Anthony just sort of buzzed around at a distance, giving David curious looks now and then, acting sullen and withdrawn otherwise. He’d met up with a friend, and at one point the two boys had joined David on the toboggan. Afterward, Anthony had gone his way again. As Angela kept a close eye on everyone, David noticed she oversaw the outing but didn’t sled herself. Did she feel she couldn’t have fun when the kids were around?
Although she was holding a cup of hot chocolate and breathing in the warmth, her nose and cheeks were red. They’d have to leave soon.
In spite of an inner voice telling him to stay removed, David approached her. “How about taking a run down the hill with me?”
“I don’t think so,” she answered politely.
“Are you afraid I’ll dump you in the snow?”
She gave him a genuine smile. “Maybe. I’m not a speed junkie.”
“You don’t like roller coasters?”
“I avoid them at all costs. I turn an ugly shade of green.”
“I doubt that. Come on. You need to show your kids you can join in the fun.”
“I do?” She looked a bit defensive.
“Sure. I think one of the reasons kids keep a distance from their parents is because they think their parents were never kids. Or have forgotten what it was like to be a kid.”
As she gazed out over the snow-covered vista and the pines beyond, she seemed to think that over. Her focus went to Olivia, who was tubing down the hill with a friend. Then she concentrated on Michael, who was in his own world, spinning his saucer on a snow patch. Anthony had taken his sled and was doing belly flops down the hill.
A tall man had arrived a few minutes ago with his daughter, and Angela had spoken to him for a while. David had definitely noticed. That same man was standing by a picnic table, watching his daughter, who was sledding with Olivia.
“Hey, Jack,” Angela called to him. “Can you keep an eye on my kids for a few minutes?”
“No problem,” he called back.
She turned back to David, “All right,” she agreed. “One run.”
“You have to smile, so they think you’re having fun even when you’re not.”
She laughed, and he liked the sound of it. He liked her.
A few minutes later