Loving Lizzy (The Serenity Mountain Series Book 6)

Sneak Peek Beckoning Bryanna

Thunder rolled and lightning clashed as the rain came down in sheets over the cabin. Saint rubbed the back of his neck as he paced up and down. A loud moan from the couch sent him rushing to his daughter, Miya’s side. He held the waste basket under her chin as she emptied her stomach for what felt like the millionth time.

He felt her forehead again, reassuring himself she didn’t have a fever. His mind raced at what he should do. No one he trusted was available. Kassie and Chase left to attend a conference in Los Angeles. Maddie, Carol, and their men left to go camping for the weekend with Melody and Emma, Michael and Lizzy finally decided to go on a weeklong honeymoon. Not wanting to leave the kids, Debbie accompanied them and kept the kids close by. Catherine and Leo went on something called a baby moon. Samantha and Whiskey left early in the morning with LJ to meet Bryan in New York. It only left one person.

Saint hauled Miya into a sitting position and wrapped a blanket around her. Scooping her up in his arms and grabbing a fresh vomit pail in his other hand, he ran to his vehicle. Quickly buckling her into the car seat, he shut the door to keep the rain from getting her wet. He jumped inside and started the engine. The flash of lightning made his daughter cry out in fear.

“It’s gonna be okay my little Nugget, Daddy’s gonna get us some help,” he told her soothingly as his heart raced frantically.

Miya gripped the waste can barfing again and he prayed she hit the bucket as the car began to smell, making him gag. He cracked a window as he raced down the mountain to the only person he thought could help.

***

Bryanna Hutchins removed her silk robe and set her cup of chamomile tea on the bedside table. She picked up her new paperback and sniffed the pages, loving the smell. This one was a thriller, and she waited all day to finally snuggle in bed and begin her journey into another world.

Her first chapter in, she sipped her tea, and snuggled further under the blanket as the sound of the rain and thunder set the mood. Absorbed in her book, she jumped as someone loudly pounded on her back door, making her spill the tea all over herself and her new adventure.

Setting the now empty cup on the bedside table, she slipped into her robe and grabbed the baseball bat at the end of her bed. Serenity didn’t experience much crime, but a single girl needed to protect herself, especially at two in the morning. She held the bat close to her as the pounding on the door increased.

“Who is it?” she yelled and held the bat up in the air.

“Bryanna, it’s Saint, I need help. Miya’s sick and I don’t know what’s wrong.” Saint called through the door.

Bryanna sat the weapon down, rushed to the door and yanked it open. Saint stood in the rain, holding his vomit covered child in his arms away from his massive chest. Panic showed in his eyes as he gestured helplessly down at his daughter. Miya made a horrible retching sound, and he held her upright and leaned her over the porch as she vomited again. Saint grimaced and began to gag.

When Miya stopped, Bryanna took his arm, careful not to touch him and led him into her bathroom, where she promptly sat the little girl in the bathtub and began stripping her down. Saint stood in the doorway.

“I didn’t know what to do, everyone’s out of town. She’s not running a fever, but she started getting sick around twenty-two-hundred hours. She hasn’t stopped.”

Miya turned her tear-filled eyes to Bryanna. “My tummy hurts,” she whined.

Bryanna sat on heels and stared at the child sitting in the bathtub in a pair of princess underwear. She appeared miserable.

“Okay, baby, we’ll get you figured out in no time. Saint, take these into the laundry room and stick them in the washer along with the shirt you have on.”

She raised Miya from the tub and began to run a warm bath. When Saint returned, Bryanna slipped Miya’s undies down and lifted her into the tub. She squirted a bit of shampoo, making it fill with bubbles.

“What did she eat today?” she questioned Saint.

“She ate the same things I did. We went to the fair in Seattle. Do you think she got food poisoning? I felt fine until she started upchucking all over the place,” He ran his hand over the back of his neck watching his daughter.

“Exactly what did you eat?” she asked him as she grabbed a washcloth from her basket and began to rub Miya’s back. The poor child’s lips appeared pale and dry as her eyes began to droop.

“We ate cheeseburgers and fries. Miya never tasted cotton candy and I bought her a stick. She asked for a rainbow ice cream cone after we rode the Ferris wheel, and a cookie with a unicorn on it after we played games. We ate popcorn and watched the kids’ show. She saw one of those huge suckers as we left and said she always wanted one of them. I got her one to eat on the ride home.” Saint scratched his head. “Oh, we shared a caramel apple before bed while I read her a book.”

Bryanna shot Saint a dead pan look as she stood and rummaged through the medicine cabinet. She pulled out two pink tablets from a box and bent down next to the tub. “Chew these, please,” she instructed Miya. The little girl promptly opened her mouth, munched on the medicine, and swallowed.

Bryanna raised an eyebrow toward Saint before addressing his daughter. “Nugget, when you come into my shop, how many cookies do I allow you to eat at one time?”

Miya cast her eyes downward and whispered, “One.”

“Do you know why?” she pressed.

Nugget shook her head.

“Because too much of a good thing can turn into something bad. You and your daddy ate way too many treats and now your tummy hurts. From now on, we’ll remember to ask for only one goodie at a time, young lady,” Bryanna sternly brought her point home while she playfully tapped Miya’s nose.

She stood frowning in Saint’s direction. “I’ll find her something to wear.”

Bryanna walked down the hall and rummaged through her t-shirts and pulled one out. As she returned, she heard the emergency alarm go off on Saint’s phone as well as hers. She turned to retrieve the device from her room and glanced down to see the tornado warning.

She headed back in the direction of the bathroom and lifted Bryanna from the tub with a big fluffy towel and helped her dry off. She tugged the clothing over her head and held her panties out while Miya stuck her legs in them and yawned.

Saint picked his daughter up and followed Bryanna into the living room. Miya laid her head on her daddy’s shoulder as he rubbed her back.

Bryanna turned around and faced him. “You can’t take her out in the middle of a tornado warning. We’ll go to the basement, and she can sleep on the loveseat. You can take the couch.”

She led the way downstairs and lit candles to give off light in case the power went out. Saint laid Miya on the love seat while Bryanna went to a small studio kitchen and warmed something in the microwave for a minute. She slipped it inside a pouch and walked to Miya. Pulling a blanket from the basket at the end of the love seat she placed the pouch across her tummy and covered the sleepy child. She stroked her forehead until Miya’s eyes fluttered and closed.

She stood and sat on the other side of the couch. “I don’t have a shirt to fit you, but there’s a shower in the guest room back there.” She pointed toward the other side of the basement. “I’ll stay here and watch over her if you want to clean up. My brother purchased some of Samantha’s soaps and shampoo to keep here. You’ll find it under the cabinet.”

Saint nodded a thank you as he stood and made his way to the bathroom.

Bryanna sat back on the couch and picked the wet silk gown from her skin. The matching wrap covered the mess and she decided when he returned, she’d run upstairs to change. She heard the shower water turn on and waited for the man who drove her insane everyday by coming into her bakery. He watched her with his big brown eyes, making her feel nervous inside. She maintained her composure and attempted to not act like a klutz when he strode to her coffee pot, smile as he refilled his cup and walked out of her shop. She forced herself to ignore his bulging biceps, the wide chest, and the sculpted abs as he sat in the shop. Lately, she struggled from watching him leave as he sauntered out wearing jeans which displayed his chiseled ass. The thought of it caused a shiver to run down her spine and she quickly stood bumping right into the man who invaded her dreams. He stood shirtless in front of her in all his perfection.

Her hands longed to run down his chest and rest on his sides as she caressed the muscles bulging from his abs. She stepped back, murmuring an apology, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you get out of the shower.”

Saint stepped toward her, causing her pulse to race as his hand came out and his fingers pulled at the opening of her wrap. His thumb ran down her satin nightie as he stared at the stain.

“You’re wet.” he said quietly.

Bryanna swallowed as her gaze roamed from his thick chest to his face. She licked her lips and couldn’t help but wonder how he tasted if she ran her tongue along his shoulder and up his neck.

“I spilled my drink when you knocked. I typically don’t get visitors this late at night,” she whispered as she glanced in Miya’s direction.

Saint fingered the delicate lace along her wrap while holding her gaze, making her tremble. “I ruined your nightgown. You need to take it off.”

“Ugh…” Bryanna mentally shook her head. Men like Saint knew how to seduce a woman out of her panties in a flash. She refused to become yet another notch on his hypothetical bedpost. He probably used Miya to soften her up. She stepped away.

“I’ll change and come back down. There’re blankets in the basket over there if you’re cold.” She nodded to the foot of the loveseat and kept her gaze from his shirtless form.

“I’m not cold. In fact, I always run hot.” Saint sat on the couch and placed an arm over the back as he settled in to wait for her.

She turned and swallowed as she took the stairs one at a time. Like Miya, her tummy ached, but for an entirely different reason.