To Wed and Protect. Carla Cassidy
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tea?” Abby asked Luke.
“Sounds great,” he agreed. “I’m ready to take a break.”
It was late afternoon, and Luke had been working on knocking down the old porch since early morning.
The first thing he had done when he arrived that morning was follow through on his promise to hang a tire swing from one of the thick branches of the tree in the backyard. While the kids had played on the swing, Abby had picked weeds and promised herself to buy a lawnmower in the near future.
She had consciously stayed away from the front of the house where Luke was working.
The heat of the afternoon had finally driven them inside. The kids were playing in their rooms, and Abby had guessed Luke would be ready for a tall drink of something cold.
As Luke put down the sledgehammer, Abby tried to keep her gaze focused everywhere but on his broad, naked chest. She handed him the glass of tea, then stepped back from him and watched as he downed half a glass in long, thirsty gulps.
Condensation from the bottom of the glass dripped onto his chest, and despite her desire to the contrary, she watched the droplet trail down his chest.
“I was hoping I’d be able to salvage some of this wood,” he said, and she was grateful for anything that took her attention away from his physique. “But I don’t think I’m going to be able to. Most of it is beyond rotten.” He took another deep drink, then continued. “I should have the last of this pulled down in the next hour or so, then first thing tomorrow morning I’ll start on the new structure.”
“It will be nice to be able to walk out the front door and not be afraid of falling through the porch.”
“You know, I’d be glad to give you an estimate on some new kitchen cabinets. If I build them from pine, they’d be relatively inexpensive.”
“New cabinets would be wonderful,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve been afraid to put too many canned goods in the ones that are there because they look so weak.”
“I’ll work up an estimate and you can decide if you want to go ahead then.”
“Okay,” she agreed, then sighed. “There’s so much work here that needs to be done.”
“And Rome wasn’t built in a day,” he replied with one of his killer smiles.
“You’re right. And hopefully we’ll be here a long time and eventually get the house done the way we want it.” She returned his smile with one of her own.
“Patience isn’t one of my strong suits.”
“I’ve never been one to want to wait for what I want, either,” he replied with a wicked grin that instantly drew heat into her cheeks.
He held out his empty glass to her. As she took it from him, their fingers touched and Abby felt a spark of electricity tingle in the air between them. She took another step back from him and clutched the glass tightly in her hand.
There was a silence, an uncomfortable one that she instantly worked to fill. “You mentioned last night at the diner that you had to stay here in Inferno for several months and work on your family dude ranch so your brothers and sisters wouldn’t default. So, you have a big family?”
“Two brothers and one sister. And we’ve recently added a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law.” He swiped a hand through his thick hair, and Abby tried not to notice how handsome he looked with the afternoon sun playing on his features.
He had strong, bold features. Midnight dark brows, a straight Roman nose, high cheekbones and a sensual mouth. He was once again clad in customary tight, worn blue jeans that rode low on his hips.
“What about you? Big family? Small family?” he asked.
“No other family. Just me and the kids.”
A frown creased his forehead. “I might as well have no family. We aren’t very close.”
“Do they all live here in town?” she asked curiously.
Luke nodded. “Yeah, Matthew lives at the family homestead. Mark and his wife, April, and son live on a house Mark built on the ranch. Johnna and her husband, Jerrod, live in a house here in town.” His frown deepened. “So, we’re all here, but we might as well live a million miles away from one another.”
“You don’t realize how lucky you are to have brothers and a sister,” Abby replied. “My sister died a year ago, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish I had spent more time with her, talked to her more often.”
As always, thoughts of Loretta brought with them a dark, dangerous well of grief. If only she’d known what had been going on in Loretta’s life. If only she’d known the danger. Abby had encouraged her to make the break that had ultimately resulted in her death.
Before Abby could plunge into the dark depths of despair, she mentally shook away thoughts of the sister she missed so much. “Take my advice, Luke and don’t waste time where your family is concerned. Enjoy their company while you still have them.”
He nodded, his gaze steady, thoughtful as it lingered on her. “So, you lost your sister a year ago. That means you had two tragedies about the same time?”
“Two?” She looked at him blankly.
“Your husband and your sister.”
Warmth swept over her as she realized she’d momentarily forgotten all about the husband she’d supposedly lost. “Yes, that’s right,” she agreed hurriedly, then averted her gaze. “It’s been a long, hard year.”
He took a step toward her and reached out to grab her hand. She looked at him, surprised by the warmth, the strength of his touch. “I hope Inferno will be good to you and you’ll be able to put all the sad times behind you and find happiness here.”
For a moment, as she gazed into his beautiful sooty eyes, she wondered if happiness was possible. She hoped so, not so much for her own sake, but for the sake of the two children who meant more to her than anything on the earth.
“Thank you,” she replied. She knew she should pull her hand away yet was reluctant to break the warmth and comfort of the contact. It had been so long since she’d felt any kind of masculine touch, even one as simple and uncomplicated as the touch of hands.
He smiled and increased the pressure of his hand on hers. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to see those pretty green eyes of yours light up with pleasure, with happiness and laughter.”
A dangerous, provocative heat rose inside her as their gazes remained locked, and she saw flickering flames in the depths of his eyes. “Are you trying to charm me, Mr. Delaney?” She forced a light laugh and pulled her hand from his, suddenly realizing his touching her was anything but simple. “Is this the beginning of the seduction that Stephanie warned me about?”
He laughed, a low, sexy rumble that was as disturbing as his touch. “Trust me, darlin’, when I start seducing you, you’ll know it and you won’t have to ask.”
His words sent a new flood of heat through her and made the mere act of breathing difficult. “Then trust me, all I really want from you, Luke, is a new front porch and maybe some new kitchen cabinets,” she replied quickly, appalled to hear her voice slightly breathless.
Again he laughed. “It’s been my experience that women rarely know what they really want.”
“And from what Stephanie told me, you certainly have had plenty of experience with women.” She shook her head wryly. “Three jobs and an overactive social life. I don’t know how you have the strength to get up in the mornings.”
Flirting. Someplace in the back of her brain she recognized that’s what she was doing. Flirting with Luke Delaney.
He grinned that lazy devastating smile. “My strong suit has always been my terrific stamina.”
He