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Now, Lee emerged from the smoke and debris, and he offered family and fatherhood in the palm of his hand.
* * *
The following day,Rosalie paced in front of the windows at Curious Kids. She’d changed her clothes four times that morning, and she’d just barely passed Autumn to Charity twenty minutes ago. Every one felt like a lifetime, because Lee still hadn’t arrived.
She knew he couldn’t stay long. After he’d called last night, they’d texted a little bit more, and she’d woken up to several more from him that had come in an hour before her alarm had gone off. She’d teased him about being an early bird, and he’d said that a dairy farmer had work to do at five a.m. no matter the season.
Rosalie wasn’t great at text-flirting, and she had very few people she could consult for help. She’d called Charity and asked her to pick up Autumn a little later today, as that would allow her to stay later at work—or rather, out with Lee.
He likes you. Don’t worry so much, Rosalie.
Charity’s words bounced through her brain, but Rosalie didn’t know how to stop worrying. She’d been a worrier for as long as she could remember, and part of that anxiety had bred her love of creating games. She’d been so worried about Natasha learning what she needed to learn so the other kids at school wouldn’t make fun of her.
She’d asked Charity to read the text string between her and Lee, and while it had made her nervous and apprehensive, her nanny’s words had helped calm her. At least for a few minutes.
A rusty truck turned in front of the windows and came to a stop in the parking stall. Rosalie let out a yelp and ran back to her desk, sure Lee had seen her eagle-eyeing for him through the windows. She reminded herself that the glass was reflective, and people couldn’t actually see inside as she hurled herself into her desk chair.
She ran her fingers along her curls and pulled the nearest folder in front of her. She had no idea what it was about, but it didn’t matter. Lee wouldn’t examine her desk. Last time, he hadn’t even come near where she spent hours of her time.
The bell on the glass door jingled as it opened, and Rosalie looked up as if she didn’t know who she’d see there. Handsome walked in, and Rosalie smiled outwardly at him and inwardly at her nickname for him. With a mental jolt, she realized she should’ve been calling him that instead of cowboy.
“Hey.” She slapped the folder closed and stood, feeling every inch of the flowy, loose fabric around her frame as she moved. She adored this jumpsuit made of fun, splashy flowers against a cream background.
“Howdy.” Lee swiped his cowboy hat from his head in the most adorable gesture known to mankind. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Can’t control cows,” she said as she walked toward him. He met her about halfway, and they paused just out of arm’s reach of one another. Rosalie’s heart boomed twice through her ears the same way Thumper stomped on the kitchen floor when he was hungry.
Then she said, “It’s so great to see you, Lee,” and stepped into his personal space. He put his arms around her, and Rosalie let her eyes drift closed as she turned her head and rested it against his chest.
This. This was what she missed most about being one-half of a couple. One-half of a life partnership. One-half of a marriage.
Lee had obviously not come straight from the farm and the “mess of cows” he’d texted about. His shirt smelled like the rainforest scent of dryer sheets, and it felt smooth beneath her cheek.
“It’s good to see you too,” he said, his voice stuck somewhere in his throat so that the words came out almost like a growl.
She stepped back, her smile still in place. “So what are we doing this afternoon?”
He glanced to the rack of games on his right and over to her desk behind her on his left. “You can play hooky?”
“I cleared my whole schedule just for you.”
His eyes came back to hers. They burned with forest fires, and Rosalie wanted to lean forward and see if she could feel the heat. She didn’t, and she simply let him soak her in. He scanned her down to her feet, where she wore a pair of off-white sandals that didn’t add any height to her body.
“I like this…what is this?” He reached out and pinched the fabric of her sleeve between two fingers. “A jumpsuit?”
“That’s right,” she said, giggling. “It’s a jumpsuit.”
“I’m not great with fashion.”
“Leave it to me,” Rosalie said. “I adore clothes, and I could talk your ear off about them.”
He looked at her again, his mouth curving up into a delicious smile. Rosalie had been thinking about it for days, wondering if she’d made the worst mistake of her life by not letting that mouth touch hers.
Her lips burned with want, but she sucked in a breath to keep herself from lunging at him. This second date hadn’t even started, and kissing him now would be like doing so on the first date. “Let me grab my purse.”
“I didn’t see your car out front,” he said.
“I let Charity take it.” Rosalie turned back to her desk. “She’s my nanny. She’s with Autumn this afternoon, and she can stay as late as I need her to.” She snagged the purse from the corner of the desk where she’d left it. As she faced Lee again, she said, “Well, within reason. She does have school tomorrow.”
