She wasamazing.
And she didn't even knowit.
She claimed she was an inadequate parent, but he'd seen her put the kids' needs first time andagain.
Like leaving her ER job. She hadn't said as much, but he knew why she’d relocated to Taylor Hills. When her sister had died and left Megan custody of the kids, she'd given up the job she loved to take on family practice here. She could spend more time with the kids, have more of alife.
But she'd given up what sheloved.
She'd faced her fear of riding in order to give the kids confidence for their lessons. She was a fair rider herself, would be even better when she loosened up alittle.
As far as he was concerned, she had nothing to worryabout.
Give her another year or so, and she'd meet a nice guy, get married, and add some kids of herown.
The thought of her dating and marrying burned in his gut like a red-hot branding iron. He liked her too much. In the month they'd spent time together on the ranch, she'd become the friend she'dpromised.
He'd let his mind wander too much. His feelings had gone far beyondfriendship.
He wanted to think it was because he was starved for companionship, being so isolated here on theranch.
But it was probably the womanherself.
Now she and the girls approached. Megan squirted the boys' hands first, then approached Dan where he squatted near the fire. It was really too hot for a fire this early in the day, but he didn't want to be near the water when the mosquitos got busy atsundown.
She laid her hand on hisshoulder.
He'd finally stopped flinching at her touch. But every touch she gifted him with made him crave more. He'd started dreaming about what it might be like to kissher.
He waspitiful.
She squeezed his shoulder and held out the tiny bottle ofsanitizer.
He couldn't help a quirk of his lips but allowed her to squirt a dollop onto his big palm. First time foreverything.
The girls were sitting on a big log stripped of bark a few feet back from the fire, where they whispered and giggled about who knewwhat.
"Can we roast our marshmallows now?" Bradyasked.
"Not yet," Miles answered before Dan could. "You gotta get the right amount of red-hot coals at the bottom. That's the best place to roast yourmallow."
Dan chuckled at the kid's expert roastingadvice.
Twenty minutes later, the kids were eating their first sticky s'mores and hamming it up. They were a good match. Miles and Brady. Scarlett andJulianne.
One thing he hadn't considered when hatching this plan was that it left him paired with Megan. Without the kids as a distraction, her focus slid tohim.
And he wasn't sure he wanted to know what shesaw.
He pushed up from the log he'd been leaning against. "I'm going to check the horses." He pointed a finger at Julianne. "Don't hog all thechocolate."
She giggled, marshmallow and chocolate sticky on herface.
He hadn't counted on Megan following him. Her boots crunching in the long, dry summer grasses gave heraway.
"Thank you for this," shesaid.
"Yeah, sure." Wow, he was a real winner. S'mores and a campfire. High society. She was probably used to five-star restaurants. Not a loser who couldn't leave theranch.
