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“Ms. Bella has books on it. She’s got books oneverything.” Brooklyn gazed at him, her big blue eyes all innocence.
“And I bet she’s told you that some books aren’t for you to read just yet, didn’t she?”
Brooklyn tugged at her dress. “Most of the books are just tooboringfor me!”
“Then maybe you tell her that. I bet she’d help you find better ones.” He tugged gently on her hair. “Ms. Bella has rules in place to help protect you, cutie. And I bet she’s told you that.”
“I don’t like grown-up rules.” She flopped bonelessly down onto the threadbare grass and flung her arms out. “Everything is allrules, rules, rules. Adults don’t have rules!”
That made him laugh. “You wanna bet? We’ve got plenty of rules.”
“Like what?” She eyed him suspiciously, pushing up onto her elbows to study him.
Before he could answer, Isabel’s voice called out, “Brooklyn, where are you? Didn’t I tell you not to leave the yard?”
Brooklyn jumped up and grabbed his hand. “Busted!”
“Hey, don’t go trying to hide behind me,” he said as she darted behind his legs.
Isabel had already seen the child and veered toward them.
Travis saw the way her lips twitched in a smile before she controlled the expression, coming to a stop a few feet away with her arms folded over her chest.
Travis made a serious effort not to notice how the stance had her breasts plumping up against the scooped neckline of her cropped, short-sleeve t-shirt.
“Brooklyn.” Isabel lifted a brow as she waited for her young charge to come out from the shelter of Travis’s body.
Slowly, Brooklyn sidled out, peering around his hip. “I’m in thesideyard,” she said, pointing to the side of the house.
“No. This is Mr. Travis’s house,” Isabel said sternly. “And you know that.”
“I just wanted to ask him something!”
Travis fell back on years of training to keep from smirking but when Isabel shot him a wary look, he was hard-pressed not to smile.
“I’m afraid to ask,” she finally said.
“You should be.” He gave up trying to hide the smile this time. Being around her soothed all the raw edges inside him, especially since it seemed,somehow, she didn’t hate him.
He didn’t know how that was possible, other than a fricking miracle, but the way she’d looked at him last night, and the gleam of humor in her eyes now ...
No. She didn’t hate him.
He knew he didn’t have a chance at winning her heart back, but just knowing he wouldn’t see that cold, angry look of pain in her eyes was enough for him. He could move on, maybe. No, he wouldn’t ever love anybody again. She was the only one for him, but maybe this raw, ragged hole inside him could start to close.
Brooklyn crossed her arms over her chest and gave them both a mutinous look. “I have to asksomebody, Ms. Bella.Youweren’t telling me and he’s the only other person who’d know!”
“Sweetheart, has it occurred to you that some things just aren’t any of your business?” Travis asked, shifting his attention to Brooklyn.
When she shot him a dark look, he chuckled and stroked a hand down her hair. It was downy soft and silken under his touch and her eyes widened a fraction before she leaned into him, almost like a little cat.
“But if I don’t ask...” She bit her lip, then looked away, moving closer to Travis and hiding her face against his leg.
“Hey, hey ... ”
That low, husky murmur from Isabel hit Travis like a ton of bricks and he was knocked breathless by the need that tore through him, smashing down defenses and walls he’d built over more than a decade, ever since he’d destroyed what they’d had.
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