Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall
Читать онлайн книгу.
part of her tingled, from her messy hair to her pink polished toes. Perhaps it was best if they went outside. The bread could be covered and put in the oven later.
“Tell you what,” she said to Emma. “Let’s lay a towel over this bowl and let the bread rise awhile. That way we can enjoy the horses while it’s still daylight. Once the sun goes down, we’ll come back in and bake.”
“Cookies, too?” Emma asked.
“Emma,” Noah growled.
Lucy tapped the girl on the tip of her nose. “Cookies, too. Now let’s go check out the horses. They are going to need some straw and water.”
After helping Emma off the chair, Noah held the back door open and the child bounced down the steps, her curly pigtails bobbing against the sides of her head.
Lucy followed, stepping out onto the porch with Noah.
“I’ll help you down the steps,” he said, gripping her elbow.
Lucy didn’t shrug him off, mainly because she wanted to get used to his touch. “I can hold on to the banister.”
“And I can hold on to you,” he claimed.
There was no need to argue. “So you’re here just for the horses…or did you have a more obvious reason?”
He assisted her down the stairs, keeping that firm hold on her arm and lining his body up with hers. “I wasn’t going to let this tension come between us. And I wanted to see you again. As simple and as complicated as that.”
Lucy turned her gaze to his. “Is this you admitting you’re interested?”
Once again his dark eyes held hers. “I think you know how much I’m interested. It was you who pushed me away this morning.”
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel after I…”
Recalling the events in her mind was humiliating enough. She truly didn’t want to say the words aloud.
“You think because you weren’t ready that I’m suddenly not interested? I have no clue what the hell is going on here, Lucy, but I know there’s an attraction I can’t ignore. I can’t guarantee I’m ready for more, but…”
Noah turned, one hand on each side of the bannister, blocking her from going down the steps. His eyes bore into hers.
“It took a hell of a lot of nerve for me to admit I wanted you,” he finally said. “I figured if I came back with Emma, we could just start over with friendship.”
Lucy nodded and realized she was still wearing her apron. She untied it and pulled it over her head, tossing it over to the porch swing.
“Friendship is a good start,” she admitted, meeting his eyes once again. “You know, nothing about this is how I thought it would go when I saw you the first time.”
“You thought I’d just come into your meetings and you’d fix me?” he asked.
“I thought you’d at least talk to me that first night instead of running away.” Lucy opted to go for the full truth. “And I never thought I’d get closer to you and then not be able to—Never mind. The point is I was attracted to you from the second I saw you, but then you ran away.”
Noah quirked that dark brow again. “Maybe I ran because you stood in the rain wearing a shirt that was plastered to your curves and I was getting away from temptation.”
Stunned, Lucy didn’t know what to say. She didn’t get the chance to say anything, because Noah suddenly turned to his daughter. He walked up beside Emma where she stood at the fence, and pointed at the horses out into the field as he leaned in and told her something that made her laugh. Lucy had no clue what he was saying; she was still stuck on the declaration he’d just delivered to her.
From the beginning he’d been attracted to her and had been fighting it. Now their roles were reversed and she was wondering how they’d come this far, this fast. Maybe because she hadn’t had someone in so long, hadn’t experienced such emotions in years, she’d gotten wrapped up without thinking things through.
Watching Noah and Emma standing at the edge of the fence, Lucy swallowed that lump in her throat. When she and Evan had bought this house, this land, they’d agreed to fill it with children. That dream had died with him, or so she’d thought. Lucy wasn’t jumping to the point of thinking she and Noah were going to grow old together, but seeing him and Emma here did give her hope. She could have the dream she’d once held on to. All she had to do was let go of that fear of getting too close and suffering such heartache again.
Wouldn’t Evan have wanted her to find happiness?
One day she would. Lucy vowed to slowly approach this relationship with Noah. Because she simply couldn’t afford for her heart to be broken again.
“My horse’s name was Daisy.”
Emma brushed the horse with circular strokes as she chatted with Lucy in the corral. Noah watched them from the fence. He knew she missed Daisy. Hell, they both missed the meager amount of livestock, but the ones that hadn’t died in the storm, he’d had to sell to help with the move.
“She was a chestnut mare,” Emma went on. “She loved apples.”
Noah knew Emma missed that horse something fierce. Daisy had been so gentle and so perfect for Emma. Their daily routine of feeding her apples in the evening was no more. Soon, though, they would start new traditions in this new town. They were slowly rebuilding their lives.
“Animals are like family,” Lucy added as she leaned her arm on the fence post. “These were my husband’s horses and I’d thought about selling them when he passed away, but I wanted to hold on to them as a way to stay connected to him. I’m glad I decided to keep them.”
Noah knew that need to hold on to any aspect of a late spouse, but everything he’d had with his wife had been taken. Except for Emma. And at the end of the day, that’s all he needed.
“Daddy says Mommy will always live in my heart.”
Noah glanced to Emma, who was looking back at him. He shot her a wink and she smiled. Yeah, they had each other and that’s all that mattered. Memories would live on as long as he had any say about it.
“That’s true,” Lucy agreed. “Once you love someone, they will stay with you forever. My husband will always be in my heart as well. Being sad is okay, but we also deserve to be happy.”
“I think that’s solid advice,” Noah stated as he turned his focus to Lucy. When she quirked a brow, he merely grinned.
“Daddy says we’ll get another horse soon, but first we have to find a house that has enough land.” Emma set the brush back in the bucket. “I think I’ll name my new horse Daisy. I really like that name.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Lucy stated with a firm nod. “But you can come over here anytime to ride or to just see these guys. They love company and I can always use help.” Because of her sore hip, today was not a good day to ride.
The sun stretched an orange glow across the horizon and Noah pushed off the fence. “Maybe we should let Lucy get back to what she was doing before we came.”
“I was baking, which I promised Emma could help me with.” Lucy opened the gate and unhooked Gunner’s reins from the post. “Let me get him put up and we’ll go back inside.”
“We don’t need to take up your entire day,” Noah argued. “I didn’t expect you to have her help.”
“Well, I made a promise,” Lucy told him as she threw a look over her shoulder. “I never go back on a promise, especially since I’ve been thinking of cookies