Hearts in Motion Page 17

  She made a sound that was half chuckle, half sob. Then she put her hand over her mouth, as if holding back a cry. A half minute passed, and she lowered her hand and swallowed.

  “After my parents died,” she said, her voice low, “I used to say Grace was the reason. Because by that time, I’d learned that what my parents had was hard to come by.”

  “It wouldn’t be less for me,” he said.

  She held out her hands and stepped back. “Please. Let me finish.”

  He faced her, curling his hands at his sides to keep from putting them on her shoulders and pulling her against him. “Go ahead.”

  “I think we’re good for each other. You ground me.”

  “And you make me fly.”

  She gave another laugh with a cry in it, looked down, and then looked up. “When my parents were killed, it devastated me.” She held up her hand again, and he bit back words of sympathy as she continued. “At nineteen, I thought I was tough. I thought I knew everything. But their loss was...heartbreaking. Horrible. I had to be strong for Grace but...”

  “You don’t have to be strong alone.”

  “But that’s it. In the end, family and the people we care for, it’s what matters most.” Her eyes glittered with tears. “That night we made love—” She grimaced. “Had sex.”

  “Made love,” he said.

  She gave him a stern look. “Afterward, I thought maybe there was hope. That maybe I could love someone.” She stopped and looked down then, her breaths harsh, looked up at him again. “I thought maybe I already had fallen in love... Just a little. And then...” She shrugged. “And then you couldn’t wait to leave the next morning.”

  He groaned. “For the past two weeks you’ve been threatening to kick me. Go ahead and do it now. I deserve it for being so stupid.”

  “No, no, you were the smart one.”

  “I wanted to break my engagement before we went any further.”

  “You wanted a way out. No, no, don’t shake your head. And don’t be sorry. I’m glad for it. It happened so fast, and I don’t blame you for wanting to slow it down. Last night, I walked for miles, looking for my three jail jumpers.” She smiled faintly at his laugh before continuing, a frown scoring her forehead. “I was so worried for them. So many things could’ve happened, and I would never have seen them again.”

  “But they didn’t happen.”

  “I know, but they could have. And the thought killed me. Though they’re fine now, they will die sometime. And with every death, I’ll...be hurt.”

  “So you’ll never get another dog or cat again?”

  She stared at him. “That’s it. That’s the real reason.”

  “Real reason for what?”

  “For not settling with one man. I’m afraid you’ll die, and I’ll be alone again. That’s why I was so ready to let you go.”

  “You—”

  The door opened. “Daddy?”

  He turned slowly, stifling a groan. “What is it?”

  “It’s her.”

  “Her?” He frowned.

  Cara looked from him to Abby then back at him again. “You know. My mom. She said it’s important.”

  “Tell her—”

  Abby’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. “That he’ll be right there.”

  Biting her lower lip, Cara nodded and scampered away, the door closing behind her.

  He swung back to Abby, and she was turning to the house. “Don’t go.”

  “I have to take the pets back.”

  “Wait a few minutes. Please. I won’t be long. I’ll take the call, then we can talk in my office. Grace can watch Cara for a few minutes.”

  “I don’t know. I—”

  He leaned forward and kissed her. His arms around her, his mouth on hers, coaxing her to open her lips. Thinking it was now or never. Then his thoughts changed to love me, love me, love me.

  Her mouth softened, and so did her body. Through the French door that hadn’t shut all the way, he heard a giggle. He forced himself to pull back. Because if he didn’t pull back now, he would be in big trouble.

  Abby gave a husky laugh, shook her head. “Okay, okay, I’ll wait for you.” She hurried to the door, and he followed her, his steps deliberate as he thought of ways to convince her to give love a chance.

  ***

  “You kissed Daddy,” Cara said, looking up at her in the living room, her eyes shining.

  The emotion Abby had felt before was back but different. The bitterness was gone, but the apprehension was there, the fear, the giddiness. But so were the want, the need, the hope. The thought that maybe this was it, after all.

  The fear that maybe it wasn’t it.

  But his eyes...the way he’d looked at her...as if she was more delicious than the best ice cream he’d eaten, the best apple pie, the best cheese.

  Or maybe it was her, looking at him. Smelling him. Tasting him. Wanting him.

  She put her hands on her hot cheeks, aware that two girls and four animals were staring at her, waiting for her reply.

  “Technically, he kissed me.”

  “You kissed him back,” Grace said.

  “I did.” And it was good. Damn good. Or heavenly good. She wanted to do it again.

  But that didn’t mean anything except they were good together. Very, very, very good.

  She bent and picked up Cara and twirled her. Cara giggled, and she giggled. When she put her down, she kissed her pets, saving Minnie for last, because she wanted to pet her the longest. She loved all her pets. They were all special. But Minnie was just a little more special. She was the one who sat in her lap the most, the one who’d given her the idea for the cat furniture. The one who was the smartest.

  “Why did you leave?” she whispered. “Why?”

  Minnie meowed and mewled and even said a few mrrwls before stopping, looking up at her, as if saying, Your turn to talk.

  “Did you do this for a reason, huh?” She glanced up, and Cara was laughing at the way Quigley was sniffing her hair. “Did you do this to get me and Holden together?” Even as she spoke, she couldn’t believe what she said.

  Matchmaking cats. That was crazy.

  Before she could take anything back, Minnie mewled and meowed and mrrwled again, as if replying. In the middle of a meow, Minnie stopped, looking at the hallway.

  Her skin tingling, Abby followed Minnie’s stare and saw Holden standing in the hall, tall and handsome, his jaw set in determination. The picture of a man no one would stop.

  She stood, suddenly knowing she didn’t want to stop him.

  His eyes smoldered as she neared him. Behind her, Grace said, “Cara and I will play here, so don’t worry about us. Take as long as you want.”

  “Brat,” she said, not looking around, and Grace giggled.

  Holden didn’t smile or grin, but she saw the smile shining out of his eyes.

  Hers, too. She felt the brightness, as if a piece of the sun lodged inside her. No wonder her body shook and heated, and with every step closer to him, she felt it shaking and heating more, her defenses weakening.

  “In my office?” he asked.

  She nodded, though there was something wrong with her because if he’d said in the bedroom, she would probably go with him. She would probably run into it and throw her clothes off then jump on him.

  Inside his office, the first thing she noticed was his leather couch.

  She turned to him. “Lock the door.”

  “Why?”

  “So we can use the couch.” She swept her hand at it. In case he didn’t get her drift, she said, “To make love on it.”

  “You’re ready to make a commitment?”

  “I’m ready to make love.” She held out her hands, the need clawing at her.

  But instead of taking her hand and leading her to the couch, he remained planted in front of her. “I want to make love to you. But first I want the commitment. I love you. I want you. I don’t want any other woman.”

  She stared at him, her arms
dropping slowly to her sides.

  He stared back. Standing solid. Like a mountain, she thought. Her mountain.

  “You can’t live in fear,” he said.

  “I’ve been living in fear for nine years.” She tried to smile, and her lips wouldn’t cooperate, so she talked again. “You helped me realize that. Being without Minnie, Quigley, and Lion overnight helped me realize that, too. The odds are that I’ll outlive them. That I’ll be hurt again. I’ll cry buckets of tears, and then I’ll have to go on with my life.” Tears heated her eyes and thickened her voice. “But I’ll never regret the time with them.” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “And I’ll never regret the time with you.”

  “So you do love me?” He stepped toward her.

  “I’m crazy about you.” She put her hand on his chest, as if that would hold him back. “And I feel crazy feeling so crazy. It’s only been two weeks.”

  He still stared at her, and his eyes warmed, his lips smiling. It felt to her as if he were leaking love...and she leaked love right back. “When I met you ten years ago,” he said, “I wanted to ask you out.”

  “Really?” She laughed breathlessly. “Why didn’t you?”

  “You’d been dating Ryan. I thought I wasn’t your type. But you made me laugh.”

  “I made you laugh because I threatened to physically hurt your brother.”

  He grinned. “True. But my point is, it’s not been two weeks. It’s been ten years. Ten years is plenty long enough to fall in love.”

  Her heart beat fast. “Are you saying you love me?”

  “Yes. I love you.” He kissed her forehead, and this time she didn’t try to hold him back. “I love you.” He kissed her lips. “I love you.”

  Emotion swirled up inside her again, and this time, she put a name to it. Happiness. Pure happiness. Her doubts vanished like raindrops after a storm. “If you’re crazy, then we’re both crazy. I love you, too.”

  “How do you feel about being an instant mom? Juliana called to tell me she talked to her lawyer, and she’s signing over custody of Cara to me.” He frowned. “Will that be too much for you?”

  “Too much? Are you kidding me?” Her voice rose. “I was an instant mom when I was nineteen.”

  “Do you regret it?”

  “I regret my parents dying. I don’t regret for one second that I’ve been acting as Grace’s mom.” She put her hand over his heart and felt the steady beat. With his news about Cara, the love inside her had grown. She felt it in her eyes, her throat, her heart, her belly, and even the soles of her feet. As if she had so much love inside her she could sprout wings and fly. “And I already love Cara. I won’t regret it.”

  “I’ll give you as much time as you need, but I want to marry you.”

  “Right away?”

  “When you’re ready. Let’s not wait ten years again.”

  “I know what I want now.” She frowned, because even with all the love inside her like a supercharged disco ball, she knew someday sadness would come. Someday, other people she cared for would die.

  But not to love because of that? That wouldn’t be a life; it would be a living death.

  Still looking at him, she pulled his head down for another kiss. When this one was over, she felt wonderfully warm. “There’s no need to wait,” she said, her voice husky. “Two months? Would two months be too long?”

  “I’d rather do this in two weeks,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. “But I’ll settle for two months. And you and Sam will be part of Eagleton Furniture. We can drive to work together then.”

  “Your PR people will love that.” She laughed. “Our marriage will make the partnership an even better story.”

  He bent his head to kiss her while she pushed up on her tiptoes and melted against him. When he pulled back from her, she moaned.

  “I know you’re worried that something will happen,” he said, his voice low. “But my love will last. I will love you until my last breath. Until the last beat of my heart.”

  “I can do you one better. I’ll love you after my last breath. I’ll love you forever.” She pulled out of his embrace, held out her hand for his, then drew him toward the couch. “And I’ll make love to you now.”

  ***

  Minnie tipped her head up in the living room. The last she heard coming from Holden’s office was their laughter then the creak of the couch. Since then, they’d gotten quiet. Very quiet. Except for the squeak, squeak, squeak of the couch.

  A moan came to her ears, too quiet for Cara and Grace to hear as they played a game on the living room floor. It didn’t sound like a moan of pain to Minnie; it sounded more like a happy moan.

  What do you think they’re doing together? Epic asked.

  Can’t you smell them? Lion asked. They’re mating.

  Minnie jumped on the couch in the middle of a splotch of warm sunlight. She, Quigley, and Lion had risked everything to get Abby and Holden together. She’d only slept in snatches last night, needing to be aware in case any owls or foxes came after them. And now...it was worth every minute of lost sleep and discomfort.

  After all, she loved Mom and wanted her to be happy. Now Mom was.

  Minnie closed her eyes. Her work was over, she was happy, Mom was happy, they’d never have to worry about losing their home again.

  And now it was time to nap.

  ~o~

  Thank You Note to my Wonderful Readers

  Thank you for reading HEARTS IN MOTION! If you enjoyed it, I'd appreciate it very much if you'd help others enjoy it too by taking a minute or two to leave a review at your favorite online places for readers. Reviews matter more now than ever. Search engines look for books with the most reviews, and the more reviews a book gets, the more the book is recommended to new readers.

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  If you’d like to read the first chapter of CHRISTMAS AT ANGEL LAKE, book 2 of the Rescued Hearts series, please turn the page.

  Christmas at Angel Lake

  available now

  A kitten saved her…

  Broke, pregnant and deserted by her boyfriend, Maddie Barrymore swerves to avoid a kitten while driving in a Wisconsin blizzard—and her life takes another turn. Like Puss in Boots, she stays in an empty house. She has the baby, the kitten, gets a job and a degree…yet every day she’s ready to flee if the real owner shows up.

  Five years later, he does…

  Dumped by the woman he loves, film producer Logan MacLeesh’s heart is as dark as one of his movies. He plans to hole up in his grandmother’s old mansion and throw himself into his work…until he discovers the sexy squatter and her four-year-old son. Before he can call the sheriff, Maddie’s tale of how she ended up there entertains him. They make a deal that as long as she tells him a story every night, she and her son can stay. Even the cat, though Logan’s always been a dog person.

  A dog in need of saving…

  Far away in another state, a homeless dog lifts his head, sniffs…and smells him. The human who’s meant for him. As he heads through the snow toward the scent, his journey seems impossible, even though it’s Christmas, a time when miracles happen.

  Excerpt:

  Ginger’s plaintive meow warned Maddie that something was wrong. She stopped her frantic packing and heard the door open then close.

  Every muscle in her body tensed.

  It wasn’t Alma or Dexter. They would call before they came. And even then, they’d ring the doorbell. They wouldn’t just walk right in. After five years, they considered it her house, though Maddie always remembered she was a liar and a lawbreaker.

  She was almost glad it was at an end. She’d been ready to leave so often—and then someone else would need a temporary home. Her way to pay it forward for her lucky break.

  And now her luck had run out. Her last guests, Cindy and her
baby, had left two months ago to stay with Cindy’s mother-in-law in Atlanta. The only other person staying with her was Zach—also known as the best boy in the world.

  Most of the time.

  And the smartest boy in the world.

  Most of the time.

  And the boy she loved more than any other in the world.

  All of the time.

  Zach was in his kindergarten classroom with the other four-year-olds, so it couldn’t be him.

  Her heart pounded. It had to be him. The mysterious owner. Alma had called her less than an hour ago to tell her the owner was on his way. That’s all the lawyers had told her; they hadn’t given her any specific time or even a general time.

  For all Maddie knew, “on the way” might have meant a day away.

  Or ten minutes away.

  So she’d left work and sped to the place she’d claimed as her own for the last five years.

  She straightened her shoulders now. Maybe whoever it was wouldn’t charge her with anything. The neighbors thought the late owner’s professor son had inherited it. Maybe he would be a kindly older man—a philanthropist—who would find her story humorous. Or touching. Who would admire her for the help she’d given to other people. Who would appreciate the way she’d fixed up the place.

  Or would consider her a thief, a cheat, and a squatter.

  Her head held high, she strode out of her bedroom then down the hall to the living room.

  A man was taking off a leather jacket, exposing a tallish, slender frame except for his wide shoulders, his back to her, hanging the jacket on the coat rack by the front door. About five eleven, he wasn’t bad to look at from the backside. Then he turned, and her breath sucked in, and it felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach.

  Maybe because this mattered so much, a pivotal moment in her life and her son’s life, time slowed, and the seconds dragged out to moments, the details imprinting in her brain. His eyes, flame-blue and deep-set. Her gaze clung to his, yet she noted the shadows under his cheekbones, his full mouth, and the clean lines of his jaw. His black hair shot with premature gray belied his skin, firm and unlined. An anomaly.