Page 81 of Her Summer Hope

She’d left her hair loose and it blew freely in the breeze. She looked delectable and so damned beautiful that he’d had to turn away for a moment to regain his composure. He’d promised her that he wouldn’t do anything to put her relationship in jeopardy, and he had meant it.

Then, he’d touched her breasts.

He truly had been trying to help, and he hadn’t known what he’d expected when he was trying to guide the baby into the baby holster, but the hefty, warm softness of her breasts hadn’t even been on his mind.

Well, not much.

Now, the feeling of her against his fingertips was permanently seared into his brain. He flexed his fingers as they walked, not daring to look at her again just yet in case he completely lost all his principles.

The air was clean and fresh and occasionally, the wind blew showers of yellow leaves down on their heads from the early-turning trees.

The ache in his chest that he’d felt ever since the day he’d met her finally eased a little. He relaxed his stringent self-control and just enjoyed the moments with her. He’d take whatever he could get, whether it was a quiet walk or a quick, hurried conversation over dishes.

Was that pathetic?

He stopped and let her rest for a few moments while he studied their surroundings. He hadn’t heard nor seen any signs of other people or animals. He was carrying a weapon, just in case, though he hoped he’d not have to use it. The baby had fallen asleep against Maddy’s chest, lulled by the rocking motion of the hike.

He wondered vaguely if it reminded her of the womb.

He glanced surreptitiously at Maddy as he handed her a bottle of water. He tried to imagine what she’d looked like pregnant.

The image made him feel a strange yearning, a wanting.

They walked on for another twenty minutes before they reached the grassy bald where sedge, cinquefoil, and Blue Ridge St. Johns Wort grew in abundance. The day was clear and offered them a nice view of the distant hills.

“This is beautiful,” she gasped, cradling Em’s sleeping bundle and looking out over the horizon.

He stared at her. “Yep.”

He dropped his rucksack, opened the top, and pulled out her backpack before finding the large blanket that he’d rolled up.

He shook out the green and tan plaid and took a seat on the edge. She did the same, careful not to jostle the baby.

She turned her back to him. “Can you unfasten the buckle?”

He did and she carefully slipped her arms from the loops before laying Em down between them. He took off his jacket and covered the sleeping baby before reaching back into his bag.

“I took the liberty of bringing lunch. I worked hard on this,” he said seriously.

His lips twitched as she opened the containers and busted out laughing. “This is the couscous I made yesterday,” she laughed, shaking her head. “I bet you slaved away all day on this.”

“Sure did,” he teased. “I had to not only find the containers and fill them up, I had to practically plan out a mission to find the matching lids.”

She giggled and the remaining wariness that he felt between them disappeared in an instant. Being there with her felt…right.

It felt like home.

They enjoyed their lunch and the conversation that followed. He tried to subtly shift the topics toward the things he really wanted to know, but she deflected at every turn. He didn’t want to push her to open up, but he’d hoped she would.

She had to know that he’d help her in any way that he could. She had to know that he was in her corner.

After a while, as the sunlight changed from bright to soft, she sighed and laid back on the blanket, snuggling up near Emmie as she still slept. Eventually, he knew that she would need to be fed. He planned to go exploring to give her some privacy to do that.

She rested her head on her bent arm and smiled up at him. “This has been the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

Happy didn’t even begin to cover the feeling that bloomed in his chest at her words.

“We’ll have to come up here again soon,” he promised.

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