Chapter Twelve
L aura opened her eyes slowly. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. As unfamiliar sounds from outside penetrated the sleepy haze she’d been in, she sat up. She was in Hayden’s house on the ranch.
Luke had been scared last night and worried, so after he’d had a shower, she’d put him to bed and sat next to him on the bed to read him a story. It was only during the third story that he’d finally fallen asleep.
She had to have fallen asleep, as well, right after he did. The little sleep of the week before had finally caught up with her.
Rubbing her face, she called out to Luke. He was nowhere to be seen, though. She checked her watch. Oh my gosh, it was already past nine.
Grabbing her phone, she jumped up and ordered an Uber before she headed to the nearest bathroom. It would be nice to at least brush through her hair and wash her face. Fortunately, she always carried a moisturizer and the basic makeup in her bag. A shower would’ve been nice, but standing naked anywhere in Hayden’s house was so not a good idea. Oh, my goodness, so not something she should be thinking about now.
A few minutes later, feeling fresher, she jogged down the stairs and followed the sound of Luke’s voice. He was on the kitchen floor playing with two dogs, one who looked a lot like Molly. And sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, looking drop-dead gorgeous in a denim shirt and faded jeans, was Hayden. Amber eyes found hers.
He got up. “Come and sit. There’s coffee and fresh scones. Isabella doesn’t usually come in on a Saturday, so you’re in for a treat.”
The dog that looked a lot like Molly saw her and, tail wiggling, came hesitantly closer. Smiling, Laura crouched down. “Thanks. I’ve phoned Maria. She’s picking me up soon.”
Hayden chuckled, the mere sound sending delicious shivers down her spine. “You don’t have to rush off. I’ll take you.”
Ignoring him, she looked down at the dog trying to climb on her lap. “Look who’s here. Hi, Molly.” Picking up the dog, she cuddled her close.
“And this is Jessie. She’s my dog,” Luke said. Sniffing, Jessie cautiously approached Laura.
“Coop brought the dog this morning,” Hayden said. “According to him, you and Molly have decided to give living together a go. He’s also left two bags of stuff for her, including a doggie door. I’ll install it when I drop you off. Tell Maria I’ll take you. I have to go into town, anyway, to see Dawson O’Dell, the sheriff.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s totally fine. I…” She put Molly down before she stood, only to find Hayden standing right in front of her with a mug of coffee in his hand.
He combed her hair from her face. “I’ll take you. You stayed with Luke last night. It’s the least I can do.”
Her legs had turned to mush. “O-okay.” With hands not quite steady, she took out her phone and texted Maria.
After she’d put her phone in the pocket of her jeans, he handed her the mug. Her fingers grazed his as she took it. Inhaling sharply, she met his eyes. Whether it was her imagination or real, Laura didn’t know, but the whole kitchen was alive with all sorts of strange vibrations.
“Good morning, Miss Anderson,” a woman said behind Laura.
Grateful for the interruption, Laura quickly turned around. She’d met the friendly Isabella a few times when the older woman had picked Luke up from school. “Laura, please. Good morning.”
“Sit down, both of you,” Isabella ordered. “I’m making breakfast.”
“Oh, please, it’s really not…”
Isabella grabbed her hands. “You stayed with Luke last night. Of course I’m making you breakfast.”
Hayden pulled out a chair, his eyes crinkling at the corners from his smile. “From experience, I can tell you this isn’t a fight you’re going to win.”
“I don’t want to be a bother, really…”
“Please sit down?” Hayden asked. “You’ll always bother me,” he said under his breath as she sat.
She glanced at him, but he was already walking toward his chair. Had he really said that or was she hearing things now?
*
Two hours later, Hayden turned into the driveway in front of Laura’s house. Before the car had properly stopped, she’d already opened the door.
“Laura, damn it,” he growled as he also got out. “You wanna get killed?”
She had the dog in one arm and was struggling to take out both bags Cooper had left for the dog from the back of the truck. “I’ve taken up so much of your time. Thanks for the lift. Don’t worry about the doggie door. I’ll…”
Gnashing his teeth, he walked around his truck and took the bags from her. “I said I’ll do it.”
Muttering under her breath, she stomped past him toward the front porch. “It’s clear you can’t get rid of me quickly enough. You haven’t said a word all the way from the ranch. You really don’t have to bother…” After unlocking the door, she turned around and held out her hand to take the bags from him.
“I’ve told you, you’re always going to bother me,” he said, moving past her so that he could get into the house. “I haven’t had talking on my mind. Which door is going to get the doggie door?” Dropping the bags on the floor and his jacket on a chair, he turned to look at her.
“Hayden, seriously,” she began hotly, those blue eyes shooting lightning. She put down the dog and took off her coat. “I said—”
Sighing in surrender, he slowly pulled her closer, giving her ample time to push him away if she wanted to. This was why he was here. To kiss her, to touch her, to hold her in his arms.
“Hayden, what—?”
“I don’t wanna talk. Kissing you is what I’ve been dreaming about and thinking about all damn week. But if you don’t want this…”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, just kiss me already,” she muttered as she grabbed his shirt in both her hands.
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her. With his blood roaring in his ears, he swallowed her gasp and deepened the kiss. Her lips were soft and warm, her body fitting perfectly against his. Only when she melted against him did he lift his head.
“Wanting to do this has been driving me crazy,” he said. “You and I need to talk, but I have an appointment with the sheriff about last night. Dinner, tonight? I’ll pick you up at seven. So, which door gets the doggie door?”
“Doggie door?” Laura stared at him, looking so gorgeous, he had to kiss her again.
With a groan, he gathered her close. “You’re killing me, you know that?” he murmured against her lips before he kissed her again.
His blood heated instantly, and, steeped in her scent, her softness, his hands slid down her back and he pulled her close against him, making sure she knew exactly what she did to him.
The loud yapping of a dog finally penetrated his mind. Molly had had enough of being ignored and was jumping up against Laura’s legs.
Frowning, Laura bent down to pick up the dog and glared at him. It didn’t quite work, with her lips still swollen with his kisses and desire still lurking in her eyes. “Now you want to kiss? Saturday night, you made sure I knew nothing can happen between us. You haven’t spoken a word to me while driving from the ranch, but now you want to install a doggie door, and you keep kissing me!”
“Don’t you want me to kiss you?”
“Of course, I want to kiss… argh! You make me so mad, I say things I shouldn’t say. I was perfectly happy on my own and then you stormed into my classroom, all broody and sexy and angry, and I haven’t stopped thinking about you since!”
“Sexy, uh?” he drawled.
“That is so not the point!” she cried out. “You blow hot and cold, and I never know what is going to happen next. I’ve been trying to get you out of my mind…”
Sighing, he rubbed his face. “I never expected…you. I’ve also tried ignoring you, but it’s not working. All I can think about is you. Kissing you, being with you. I’ve been married. You know that. I have a son. On top of that, there’s Walker. He is dead because…and he would never be able…” With a sigh, he shook his head. “And I couldn’t talk to you on the way here, because I don’t wanna talk. I wanna kiss you. But there is no future in whatever this is between us. I was hoping, though, we can figure this out. I can’t think straight with wanting to be with you.” He glanced at his watch. “But right now, I have to install the damn doggie door so that I can leave. Before I forget about all my responsibilities and take you to your room, to that big bed, the one I helped carry in there, and make love to you until neither of us can see straight.”
For another second, she stared at him. “Figure it out? You mean, have a fling?”
“I… that’s not really what I mean, but okay, maybe that’s not a bad idea. Maybe we can get this thing between us out of our systems and—”
“There is nothing to figure out,” she interrupted him, her eyes bright. “Either you want to be with me, or you don’t. I don’t do flings. I’m not something you ‘get out of your system,’ as you’ve put it so eloquently. You having a son isn’t the complication, and you know it. You’re obviously carrying a lot of baggage around and I’ve had enough of men with issues to last me a lifetime. I can’t fix you. I can’t help you with your baggage. We’re both healthy adults. We have hormones. It will settle at some point. We will just keep on ignoring whatever this is until it goes away. So no, thank you, I’m not going to dinner with you, I’m not having a fling with you, and I’m not falling for you while you’re trying to figure out what you’re feeling.” She pointed toward the back door. “That door, I think. The back is enclosed, so Molly should be fine during the day when I’m at school. Please close the front door on your way out.”
With Molly still in her arms, she turned away and walked out of the kitchen.
Flabbergasted, Hayden stared after her. Well, hell. This was not how he’d thought the morning would end.
Clenching his teeth, he grabbed the tools. He’d never understand women. Best to stay as far away from them as possible. He was trying to be honest, to be straight with her up front, but clearly, she wasn’t interested.
*
Laura managed to keep busy in her room until she heard Hayden’s truck drive away. As the sound faded, she sat down on the bed and the first tear rolled down her cheek. No, damn it, she wasn’t going to cry. She tried to wipe it away, but a sob from deep within her body escaped and then she was crying. Curling onto her side, she lay down on the bed and sobbed into the pillow.
Molly, who had been sleeping on Laura’s bed, crawled over to her and began to lick her face.
Rubbing Molly behind the ears, Laura laughed on a sob. “Oh, sweetie, look at me, crying over a man. What nonsense.” Wiping her tears away, she stood up with Molly in her arms. “Let’s go and find something to eat.”
Grabbing her phone from the bedside table, she moved toward the door. The phone slipped through her fingers, but before it could drop to the floor, she managed to get a good enough grip on it so that she could put it into her pocket.
Sniffing, she hugged Molly. “Look at me, all teary and miserable. That’s going to change right now. You and I, Molly, we have each other. I don’t want a man who wants to be with me only to get me out of his system. If…and that’s a big if, mind you, I fall in love, it will be with someone who wants to be with me, always. ‘Get me out of his system.’ Who says that, anyway?”
The doggie door had been installed and Hayden had also cleaned up after himself. “Look, Molly, you have a door. Let’s practice.” As she bent down with Molly, her phone dropped to the floor. The front was lit up, and she switched if off before she left it on the table. “Come on, let’s try the door.”
*
Muttering and stomping his feet to get off the snow, Hayden put a hand on the door to the sheriff’s offices. What the hell had he been thinking, anyway? The problem was, when he was with Laura, he didn’t think at all. Other parts of his body worked fine, just not his brain.
His phone rang. Irritated, he took it out of his pocket and dropped his hand from the door. It was a call from Laura.
“You okay?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.
He was inhaling to ask her again if she was okay when he heard her voice. A second later he realized she didn’t know that she’d dialed his number. It was a “butt call,” as Becket called it. Turning away from the building, he listened to her voice as she talked to Molly.
Minutes later, he put the phone back in his pocket.
I don’t want a man who wants to be with me only to get me out of his system. If…and that’s a big if, mind you, I fall in love, it will be with someone who wants to be with me, always.
What if he wanted to be with her, but he couldn’t? What if—
“Hayden?” a voice asked behind him. It was Dawson, holding the door. “Come on in. It’s cold out there.”
“Thanks,” Hayden muttered as he entered the station. He had enough trouble as it was. He didn’t need another complication.