That hadn’t happened for years.
Those big blue eyes of hers held compassion and understanding. Her voice was gentle, her body tempting. And that long blond hair? He had the urge to stroke his fingers through the heavy locks.
He was a decade older than she, with a century of cynicism tangled up inside him. He had no business thinking about anything except his reasons for being here.
It’d be easier if Pixie wasn’t so perfect, if she didn’t seem so … pure.
An absurd thought in today’s world, but with all the ugliness he’d seen in his lifetime, she was like a breath of fresh air after inhaling nothing but smog.
Looking down at Shayna again, he realized she was sound asleep, and here he was, still rocking her. He stilled, waited to see if she’d awaken, and was pleased when she didn’t. He stepped to the side of the porch lights to better see the sunset pouring orange and vibrant pink ribbons over the ever-moving surface of the water. Stars began to dot the sky and fireflies soon followed.
On impulse, he lifted his phone and took a photo, then texted it to Pixie. He’d no sooner sent it than he worried about the time. What if she’d already gone to sleep?
Mere seconds passed before she sent back a smiley face with hearts in the eyes. He grinned, and after two seconds more, she clarified:I love sunsets.
As if he’d think the hearts were for him? His grin widened. He started to put his phone away, then changed his mind. Using only his thumb, he typed in:I do too—now.He hesitated, then sent it to her.
He’d seen plenty of sunsets over his lifetime, even some in Africa that were stunning. Rainbow hues that settled softly along the horizon.
None had been as nice as this, because here, there was true peace.
“Time to get you to bed, Sugar.” He headed back in, making sure to relock the door securely and turning on the soothing musical sounds on his phone.
Shayna didn’t stir when he lowered her into her basket and put a light blanket over her. He’d need an actual crib soon, and maybe a sound machine. Tonight he’d start a list.
And somehow, he’d keep his growing friendship with Pixie free of sexual thoughts, no matter how difficult it might be. He could do it.
Hadn’t he blocked thoughts of the future when he was younger and didn’t know where he’d end up? He’d concentrated on surviving the day. When on a mission, he didn’t allow himself to think of a cold cola, a juicy hamburger, or a soft bed. Those thoughts were a distraction and made the time spent in a dangerous situation even worse.
If he could resist all that, surely he could resist the lure of Pixie’s gentle touch.
Eventually, he’d tell her why he was really here, what she and her son meant to him and why. Pixie would understand because she’d already proven to have a huge but sensitive heart. The timing was critical, though.
Everyone else could just stay out of his business. He’d keep to himself, do his best to keep a low profile so he didn’t draw attention from the locals, and when it was necessary to engage with them, he’d be merely polite. No smiling. No chitchat.
And no fantasizing about what it would be like to have a future with Pixie Nolan.
He knew how to survive without. He’d been doing it all his life.
The trip to show Brogan around town turned into a shopping expedition of monumental proportions. Pixie felt like a nag every time she explained that he didn’t need something, but the man seriously wanted to overdo it. When he wanted to purchase an elaborately decorative crib, she’d reminded him that the lake house didn’t have a lot of extra room and showed him how to accomplish the same look with pretty blankets and a mobile. When he took too long deciding on the blankets and a few more outfits for Shayna, she laughingly grabbed some and tossed them in his cart. He liked her choices.
He’d been involved in choosing toys—for both Andy and Shayna—when Shayna started to fuss. Without thinking about it, Pixie lifted the little girl into her arms and soothed her. Andy, who rode in the back of the cart, loved it and wanted her to stand close enough that he could snuggle the baby, too.
Shayna gave a wail, and Andy got ready to cry with her.
He said, “Baby cryin’!” in a panicked yell, clearly wanting Pixie to fix the situation.
“Yes, she is,” Pixie soothed, followed by, “Shh, she might be sleepy.”
“Shh!” Andy told her; then he turned to Brogan and loudly repeated, “Shh.Baby sleepy.”
A sort of tingling awareness had Pixie looking up into Brogan’s warm gaze. He had a look on his face that was … She couldn’t define it. Full of tenderness, but yearning, too, and possibly a touch of fear. That didn’t make any sense to her. She couldn’t imagine Brogan being afraid of anything.
“Guess that’s my cue to stop shopping,” Brogan said quietly. He smiled down at Andy. “Want to play while we check out?”
Andy happily accepted the book with easy-to-push buttons on each page for animal sounds. Pixie leaned close to him. “Say thank you.”
He gave Brogan a big grin complete with eyes squinted tight. “Tank you.”
