In the midst of the pandemonium of wrapping paper and boxes and bows, Nathaniel found himself trying to imagine what it would be like if he were a real member of this family. Heart pounding in his chest, he looked across the room at Dani and found her gaze on him. Her beautiful blue eyes shone bright with happiness.
The truth hit him without warning. A tsunami of feelings tightened his throat and glazed his eyes with moisture. He loved her. He was in love with his executive assistant.
This was a hell of a time for a personal epiphany. His head spun. The conversation swirled around him. He must have participated in appropriate ways, but he felt clumsy, his faculties impaired.
“Excuse me,” he said, when he could form the words. “Peaches wants her bottle. I’ll be right back.”
He fled the family celebration. In the kitchen, he clutched the baby and searched for the premixed bottles of formula Dani had ordered, the same kind they had used that first night. With shaking hands, he uncapped and heated and tested. The routine was not so intimidating now. Against all odds, he was learning how to deal with a baby.
Once the bottle was ready, he went in search of a quiet bedroom. The house was very nice, but not all that large. Even with the door closed, he could hear echoes of the festivities from down the hall. He sat on the edge of the bed and cradled the little girl in his arms. She smiled up at him as she gripped the bottle.
Damn it. Dani was right. He didn’t want the complicated situation, but it was going to break his heart if she weren’t his flesh and blood.
Females were trouble. That was the truth. How was he going to let either one of them go?
Immediately after the formula was gone, Peaches fell sound asleep. He tugged the bottle from her hands and set it aside. Carefully, he lifted the small, limp body onto his shoulder.
He wanted to be alone. He needed time and space to process everything that was happening to him. Unfortunately, he was smack-dab in the middle of a good old-fashioned family Christmas.
When he made it back to the den, Jared cornered him. “It’s not going to be safe to get across that bridge. At least not until the water goes down and Dad and I can see how much damage was done. There’s an alternate route off the back side of the property, but it will add almost an hour to your trip.”
Dani’s mother joined them. “I know we’re crowded, but I would feel better if you stayed the night, Nathaniel. I don’t want you taking my daughter and the baby across the bridge today, Hummer or no Hummer. And that other road is terrible. We have all sorts of blankets and sleeping bags, more than enough to make comfy pallets here in front of the fire. I thought about kicking Jared out of his room, but his is a twin bed, so not much help.”
Nathaniel swallowed his misgivings. “Dani can have the sofa. I’d be happy to stay, Mrs. Meadows, but I definitely will have to get on the road first thing in the morning to make it back to work.”
“Of course,” Dani’s mother said. She turned around and looked at her daughter. “You don’t mind camping out for just one night, do you, sweetheart?”
Dani had a deer-in-the-headlights look. “It’s okay with me, Mama, if Nathaniel agrees.”
Mrs. Meadows beamed. “Then it’s settled.”
For Nathaniel, the torture was only beginning. His plan had been to leave around four in the afternoon and hightail it back to Atlanta. He would drop Dani off at her apartment, and he and Peaches would go to his condo to wait for Ophelia.
Now he was going to spend another night with the woman he wanted more than his next breath. In her parents’ house. With a baby as chaperone. God help him. It was everything he feared and everything he couldn’t have.
The warm, loving family, the precious baby, the woman who tempted him beyond reason. How could he keep a rein on his hunger if the two of them were trapped in this house?
Despite his inner turmoil, the day passed quickly. As Dani had warned, the men were eager to try out the Hummer. Even Angie’s husband went along for the excursion across snow-covered fields.
Nathaniel enjoyed the outing far more than he expected. Angie’s husband possessed a dry wit. Dani’s father turned out to be a good old country boy at heart and Jared was, as Dani had told him, brilliant. The four men took turns behind the wheel, tackling hills and whooping it up when the Hummer conquered all obstacles.
Before returning home, they went as close as they dared to the raging creek and assessed the conditions. According to the National Weather Service, the rising waters had finally peaked. With no rain in the forecast and only the melting snow to feed the torrent, the outlook was good. By morning it was possible that the usually placid brook might be near normal levels.
Back at the house, the women had whipped up another batch of mouthwatering food for dinner. Nathaniel was amazed the whole family managed to stay fit and trim. Maybe they burned it off because no one ever sat still.
The evening was devoted to charades and card games. Nathaniel cleaned up at poker but was lousy at charades. Even Angie’s husband, the other outsider, was better at guessing clues than Nathaniel. They all teased him, but it was good-natured.
How could he tell them his focus was shot to hell because he was fixated on the prospect of another night with Dani?
At long last, the day drew to a close. One by one, family members disappeared to shower and get ready for bed. Dani’s father dragged out all the extra bedding and helped make a comfortable sleeping spot for Nathaniel and Peaches. Dani tucked a sheet around the sofa cushions and added a blanket.
“We’ll be fine, Dad. Thanks for everything.”
Nathaniel nodded. “Thank you, sir. It was a great day.”
Was it his imagination, or did Dani’s father give him the stink eye before walking out of the room? Then it dawned on Nathaniel. The den had no door. A double doorway, yes. But no way to secure privacy with lock and key. Hell’s bells.
Dani didn’t bother with the nightwear he had bought for her. She was wearing borrowed sweatpants from her sister, topped with an Atlanta Braves T-shirt. With her hair up in a ponytail, she could have passed for a teenager.
Nathaniel excused himself for a turn in the bathroom. He opted for soft athletic pants and a thin cotton shirt, leaving it unbuttoned in deference to the fact that the fire made the den very toasty. They wouldn’t have to worry about Peaches getting cold.
When he returned, Dani had turned out all the lights. She was tucked into her temporary bed on the sofa with the covers pulled up to her chin. She had taken the rubber band out of her hair, and now the thick, caramel tresses fanned out across her pillow in an appealing tumble. Her eyes were closed, but he’d bet a thousand dollars she was wide awake.
Peaches was asleep in her usual position.
He sat down on the end of the sofa and put Dani’s feet in his lap.
She opened one eye. “I just got comfortable,” she complained. “Shouldn’t we get some sleep if we’re getting up early?”
“It’s ten thirty,” he pointed out. “You and I are usually good for another several hours at this point. You know, when things get cranked up.”
Her gaze was wild. “Nathaniel! Hush! Are you out of your mind? Somebody could be standing outside in the hall listening to us.”
“They’re not. I checked.” He slipped his hand under the covers and played with her ankle bone. “I’ve barely touched you all day.”
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