More tingles.Dammit.
“Ma.”Cody waved her forward.“I see something.”
Right.While she was being giddy and ridiculous over Braden Parker, a grizzly bear could be coming at them—right this very minute.She hurried to her son and crouched beside him.“What is it?”
It took a minute for Maggie to see what Cody was pointing at.All she could make out was a long white object partially obscured by shrubs, dead leaves and undergrowth.“A big stick.”
Braden crouched beside Cody, his eyes narrowing as he peered in the direction Cody pointed.His brows rose and he sat back on his heels.“I’ll go check it out.”He ran a hand over Delilah’s messy pigtail.“Stay here with Maggie, okay?I don’t want you getting into any poison ivy.”
“’Kay, Daddy.”Delilah nodded.
“Can I go with him?”Cody asked, tugging on the hem of her sweater.“Please, Ma.”
“I don’t mind.”Braden turned to her as he spoke.Crouched as they were, he was close, too close.Unnervingly so.He could probably hear her heart hammering its way out of her chest—that’s all she could hear.Taking a deep breath didn’t do a thing to calm her, either.Then she thought he glanced—for a handful of seconds—at her mouth.
Which wasn’t likely.Why would he?He wouldn’t.He didn’t.
“Your call.”Whether he looked at her mouth or not, he was definitely looking at her.He leaned forward and whispered, “If it is what I think it is, Cody is going to be over the moon.”
What was more dazzling?His eyes or his smile?Or was it just…all of him?
“Maggie?”The way he said her name was all rough edges and temptation.
Breathe.And ignore the fact that she was breathing in his scent.She swallowed down a frustrated groan.
“Ma?”Cody’s impatience was as effective as a cold shower.
She stood up quickly, almost knocking heads with Braden in the process.“Yes, sure.Go.”She kept her hands fisted at her sides and hoped no one would notice how badly they were shaking.
She didn’t look at Braden as he led Cody off the path.That wouldn’t be wise.
“What is it?”Delilah asked as she reached for Maggie’s hand.“I wanna know.”
“Me, too.”Maggie gave her hand a gentle squeeze.But now that Braden was walking off, she was feeling more herself.She was breathing and thinking—and had a semi-normal heart rate.All good things.If she didn’t want to make a fool out of herself, space was essential.
Mental note.Keep a physical distance from Braden.
The wind was on the cold side so Maggie knelt and buttoned up the front of the little girl’s coat.“Here.”She took off her scarf and wrapped it around Delilah’s neck and shoulders.“It’s a little big on you.”
Delilah tucked her chin into the folds of the scarf.“It’s comfy.Thank you, Maggie.”
“You’re welcome.”She sat on one of the large rocks lining the path.“I don’t like being cold, either.”
“Florida was nice and warm and sunshine-y.”She sat right beside Maggie, leaning against her as she said, “I miss my mommy and the beach a wot.”
Maggie slipped her arm around the little girl—for warmth and comfort.She didn’t know what the custody situation was with Braden and Delilah’s mother but she hoped it was amicable.
“Daddy says Mommy iswayup there, watching me.”She pointed up into the sky.“An angel watchin’ over me.”
Her guardian angel?Maggie’s heart stuttered then slammed, hard, against her chest.Delilah’s mother had died?She closed her eyes and resisted the urge to hold Delilah closer.The little girl wasn’t crying or upset, she was sharing.No matter how surprising and devastating the news was to Maggie, she wasn’t going to upset the little girl by getting emotional.
Braden really is doing this on his own.And knowing that put things in a very different light.
Instead of getting teary-eyed, Maggie scrambled for something to say.Before Delilah had shared about her mother, they’d been talking about missing home.How Delilah missed the beach and the crash of the waves…
Maggie stared up at the tall trees overhead.“It’s not the same as waves, but sometimes the wind blows through the trees and makes a nice sound.”
Delilah managed to crawl into Maggie’s lap.“The wind?”
