Page 13 of Wanting a Family Man

Cloe tried not to reveal how devastated she was by their collective will to hand her sister’s baby to someone who, sure, seemed nice and loving, butwasn’t her sister.

“We all want what’s best for Storm, though. That means welcoming her family into her life.”

She might have been more inclined to believe that if he didn’t look so much like he was making himself say it.

None of them liked her, but the fact thathedidn’t like her bothered her. A lot. Merely walking beside him caused the pressure in her lungs to increase. He was too tall and confident and smooth. Not in the way of a ladies’ man, but in the way of an athlete. He walked with casual grace and seemed both alert and nonchalant. He was masculine in all the most sexy and potent ways.

He was a demigod who wasn’t afraid of spiders or snakes. He had transported her to wild, beautiful places and soothed her with the smooth timbre of his voice.

Her nervousness at being alone with him began to expand. Not that she feared he would attack her. No, she was growing anxious because she already had few defenses around him. In her mind, he was a loving, guiding friend who had convinced her she could survive in the wilderness with a sharp knife and a length of string, if she had to.

Ironically, here in the “real” world, she wasn’t so sure. She felt clumsy and burdensome and had this aggravating desire for him to approve of her.

Don’t. Just don’t, she scolded herself.

She was still looking for someone to take care of her, was the issue. Her mother had only managed to parent in fits and spurts, not in the steady way a child needed. Cloe’s brief stint with a foster family had met her basic needs, but in a very matter-of-fact and impersonal manner. At college, she had formed a loose network of fellow students, but they’d all moved on very quickly.

The closest Cloe had come to a state of genuine self-dependence was when she had started working at the car dealership. She had still needed roommates and Tiffany had covered half her student loan repayment, but she’d been making progress into adulthood.

Then Ivan had come along and made her feel cosseted. She had let him look after her and that had turned into law enforcement becoming her nanny.

Somehow, she had to get on her feet. She needed to meet her own needs, financially and emotionally.

A wicked voice whispered,What about sexually?

Don’t.

“Hey, Trys,” a man called from the patio of the pub as they passed below it. “If you were dropping a line this weekend, where would you do it?”

Trystan halted. “First of all, does Reid know you’re getting a day off? Are you looking for somewhere he won’t spot you?”

“Heh. Yeah, he knows. My wife is bringing the kids. Hi.” He nodded at Cloe.

“Hi.” She gave him a hesitant smile.

“This is Cloe, Tiffany’s sister. She’s here to visit Storm. Braiden is one of the journeymen who’s been working on the lodge upgrades,” Trystan explained.

“I’m really sorry for your loss.” Braiden touched the bill of his ball cap, looking sincere. “Your sister hired me. She was always full of ideas and making us laugh.”

“Thanks.” Cloe tried to swallow the lump that arrived in her throat.

“This time of year, I’d try one of the inlets off Spooner,” Trystan said, steering the conversation back to its purpose. “Maybe hike over to Smuggler’s Cove if you’re on foot.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Wear the kids out with a long walk, then leave them in the room with pizza and a movie while we come for dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan. Have fun.” Trystan turned to the ramp down to the wharf.

Cloe gave a small smile and wave then followed Trystan.

“I hope you don’t mind my introducing you like that,” Trystan said over his shoulder. “It’s better to tell people up front who you are, otherwise they’re making up the wrong reasons for me bringing you aboard theStorm Ridge. When it comes to gossip, this place is a hotbed in every sense of the word.”

“It’s fine,” she murmured, growing even more self-conscious of her attraction toward him.

Trystan led her to the cross of the T, turning away from the leg where the water taxi had been this morning and down the other one.

She glanced at a low, sleek sailboat and a fishing boat of some kind, then almost walked into him when he stopped in front of a behemoth that looked like a three-story building.

Before she could make her slack jaw ask him if this was it, she read the nameStorm Ridgescrolled on its bow.

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