Very disheartening.
“Can I put that up for you?”
The deep male voice rumbled, yanking Charlene from her reverie.
“What?” She realized he was holding out his hand, the expression on his very handsome face expectant. He lifted a brow, glanced significantly at her carry-on, then at her. “Oh, yes. Thank you.”
He swung the bag up with ease while she slipped into the window seat. She focused on latching her seat belt, stowing her purse under the seat and settling in. It wasn’t until the plane backed away from the gate to taxi toward the runaway that she really looked at the man beside her.
He was staring at the inflight magazine but Charlene had the distinct impression he wasn’t reading. In profile, his face was all angles with high cheekbones, chiseled lips and a strong jawline. His dark brown hair was short, just shy of a buzz cut, and from her side view, his eyelashes were amazingly long and thick. She wondered idly what color his eyes were.
She didn’t wonder long. He glanced up, his gaze meeting hers.
Brown. His eyes were brown. The kind of eyes a woman could lose herself in, she thought hazily.
His eyes darkened, lashes half lowering as he studied her.
Charlene’s breath caught at the male interest he didn’t bother to hide. Her skin heated, her nipples peaking beneath the soft lace of her bra.
Stunned at the depth of her reaction, she couldn’t pull her gaze from his.
Despite his preoccupation with what lay ahead of him in Amarillo, Nicholas couldn’t ignore the quick surge of interest when he looked up and saw the woman standing in the aisle.
When he stood to let her reach her seat, she brushed by him and the scent of subtle perfume teased his senses. The sleek fall of auburn hair spilled forward as she sat, leaning forward to slide her purse beneath her seat. She tucked the long strands back behind her ear while she settled in and latched her seat belt.
Finally, she glanced sideways at him and he was able to catch a glimpse. Her thick-lashed eyes were green as new spring grass. They widened as she stared at him.
She wasn’t just pretty. She was beautiful, he realized. And if the faint flush on her cheeks was any indication, she was feeling the same slam of sexual awareness that had hit him like a fist the moment her gaze had met his.
“Everything okay?” he asked when she continued to stare at him without speaking.
She blinked, and just that quickly the faintly unfocused expression was gone, replaced by a sharp awareness.
“Yes.” She lifted one slender-fingered hand in a dismissive gesture. “I had to nearly run to catch the plane. I hate being late.”
Nicholas nodded and would have said more, but just then the plane engines throttled up, the sound increasingly louder as the jet hurtled down the runaway and left the tarmac. He glanced at the woman beside him and found her gripping the armrests, eyes closed.
Clearly, she didn’t like to fly. Air travel didn’t bother Nicholas, but he waited until the plane leveled out and her white-knuckled grip relaxed before he spoke.
“I’m Nicholas.” He purposely didn’t tell her his last name. The Fortune surname was well-known in Red Rock and being part of a rich, powerful family carried its own problems. He’d learned early that many people associated the name with a preconceived set of expectations.
“Charlene London,” she responded as she took a bottle of water from her bag. “Are you flying to Amarillo on business?” she asked, sipping her water.
“Not exactly.” He paused, frowning.
Charlene tucked an errant strand of hair behind one ear with an absentminded gesture. What did that mean? “I see,” she said.
He laughed—a short, wry chuckle. “I don’t mean to be vague. My trip is both business and personal.”
“Oh.” Curious though she was, Charlene was reluctant to grill him. Somewhere in the coach section of the airplane, a baby began to cry.
Nick stiffened and appeared to listen intently until the cries turned to whimpers. Tension eased from his body and he looked at her, his gaze turbulent.
“My college roommate and his wife died a few days ago and I’m guardian of their daughters. I’m going to Amarillo to take custody of three kids. Triplets.” He sighed. “Twelve-month-old triplets.”
Charlene’s eyes widened with shock. She was speechless for a moment. “You’re kidding,” she finally managed to get out.
“Nope.” His expression was part gloom, part stark dread. “I’m not kidding.”
“Do you and your wife have children of your own?”
“I’m not married. And I don’t have any kids,” he added. “The closest I’ve ever come to having a dependant is my dog, Rufus.”
“So you’ll be caring for three babies…all by yourself?”
He nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Yeah,” he said with conviction. “Insane.”
“I’m the oldest of six siblings, two of whom are twins,” Charlene said. “If you’d permit a little advice from someone who’s been there—you should hire a full-time nanny, and the sooner the better.”
Nicholas thought she probably was right—in fact, the more he considered the idea, the more he was convinced. Before he could ask her more questions, however, the woman walking the crying baby up and down the aisle reached their row.
“Excuse me.” Charlene stood.
Nicholas wanted to ask her if she knew anything about hiring nannies, but her abrupt request stopped him. He stepped into the aisle to let her pass him. Her shoulder brushed his chest in the slightest of touches, yet his muscles tensed as if she’d trailed her fingertips over his bare skin.
Nick dragged in a steadying breath, but it only served to flood his senses with the scent of subtle perfume and warm woman.
He nearly groaned aloud. He’d dated a lot of women over the years, but he hadn’t reacted to a female with the level of gut-deep, instant lust since he was a teenager. He blinked, frowned and ordered his rebellious body to calm down. He couldn’t afford to be distracted just now—he had to focus on dealing with Stan and Amy’s little girls.
He dropped back into his seat. He expected Charlene to walk toward the lavatories at the front of the first class section, but instead, she waited until the young mother turned and moved back down the aisle.
“Hi,” Charlene smiled at the weary mother. “I bet you’re exhausted.”
Oh hell. Nick tensed when the woman holding the baby looked like she was going to cry. He hated it when women cried. Fortunately, the woman didn’t burst into tears.
“I’m beyond exhausted,” the woman murmured, patting the wailing baby on the back soothingly. “And so is she,” she added. “I don’t think either one of us has slept more than a half hour at a time for days.”
“Oh my. My little brother did the same thing,” Charlene said, her gaze warm and sympathetic. “He was born several weeks premature and had acid reflux. Poor little guy. It took a while for us to figure out how to handle him so he could fall asleep.”
The young mother’s eyes widened. “You found a solution? What was it?”
“I’d be glad to show you,” Charlene said, holding out her arms.
The woman hesitated, clearly torn about handing her baby to a complete stranger.
“I totally understand if