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“Thanks.”
After loading the dishwasher and putting the remainder of the lasagna away, he headed to Parker’s studio. When he got there, Skye was standing behind Everly, watching her paint.
Everly was putting the finishing touches on her portrait of Jellybean, and every time he saw one of her pieces, he was struck by how talented his niece was, especially for her age. If she kept at it, he thought she would surpass Parker in her abilities.
“That’s amazing, Everly,” Skye said. “It looks just like Jellybean. I love how you have him sleeping in that spot of sun on the floor.”
“I trip over the da...darn cat every day because he’s right in the middle of the floor,” Tristan said. “He needs to find a new place to sleep.”
Everly gave him her patented eye roll. “You can’t tell a cat what to do, Uncle Tris. They do what they want to.” She seemed to consider that. “I wish I was a cat.”
“I know the feeling,” Skye said.
He loved that Skye and his niece were bonding, but it was his turn to have time with the sheriff. Parker was already lost in whatever he was painting now, and this was the time of the evening when Tristan would distract Everly, his gift to his artistic brother, who wasn’t happy if he wasn’t painting. But not tonight. Parker would just have to deal.
That wasn’t really fair, though. Parker spent time with his daughter until she fell asleep, but then he’d leave Tristan to keep watch over her while he spent hours on whatever masterpiece he was creating.
Tristan’s paycheck covered his personal expenses, groceries, and Andrew’s wages. Since Andrew kept their house clean and the refrigerator stocked, that was money well spent. Parker paid for everything else—such as the much needed and expensive remodeling. Tristan and Parker both refused to take any money from Kade. He was serving his country and risking his life in doing so. He could blow all his money on whatever he wanted for all they cared.
Tristan walked to the other side of the room and stopped next to Parker. “I’m taking Skye up to my floor, so Everly’s all yours. She’s going to want a cupcake when she finishes her painting. They’re on the kitchen counter.”
“’Kay.”
Parker might or might not have heard him. When he was in his zone, you could set off a firecracker under his feet and he wouldn’t notice. The only two things that could penetrate his concentration was Everly or a call on his firehouse radio.
He walked back to Skye and Everly and put his hand on his niece’s shoulder. “Tell Miss Skylar good night.”
“Night.”
Like her father, Everly was lost in her art. Fuzz was spread out on the floor, and Jellybean was busy boxing his nose. He left them to it and took Skye’s hand. “I promised you a tour.” And again, she let him hold her hand while they walked back to the house.
Chapter Fourteen
He was holding her hand again. Skye wished she didn’t like it. She was a competent, strong woman. She had to be, considering she was surrounded by an abundance of testosterone. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself, thank you very much. Yet Tristan’s large hand wrapped around hers made her feel protected, cherished even. It was an odd feeling.
Holding hands with a man wasn’t something she’d particularly liked in the past. Her only serious relationship had been with Danny, and when he’d held her hand, it was a show of ownership, not for the intimacy of it. She hadn’t appreciated the control he’d tried to exert over her. But holding hands with Tristan was...different. It was intimate in a way holding hands with Danny had never been.
Then, as they neared the back door of the house, he began to caress his thumb over the top of her hand. Weird tingles traveled up her arm. She wanted to snatch her hand away because she didn’t need tingles in her life. Not from a cop. He dropped her hand to open the door, and she was both relieved and missed that hand he’d had wrapped around hers.
“We have some wine left from dinner, but you have to drive home, so maybe something else?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t be good for the sheriff to get pulled over for a DUI.”
He smiled. “No, but I’d bail you out of the pokey.”
Not only did he need to stop holding her hand, but he should stop smiling at her like that. “Good to know. I’d love a cup of coffee.”
“Perfect.” He opened a cabinet, took out a plate, and handed it to her. “Put a couple of those cupcakes on this while I make us coffee.”
She put three cupcakes on the plate, two for him and one for her. “I’m amazed at how talented Everly is. I guess she inherited that from Parker.”
“Him and maybe her mother.”
“Do you mind me asking about her mother? Does Everly spend any time with her?”
“Nope.” He leaned back against the counter. “I’ve never met her. Parker met her when he was studying art in France. He doesn’t talk about her, but from the few things he’s said, she didn’t want anything to do with a baby.”
“Wow. How could a mother not want her child?”
