His tongue teased at the seam where her lips met. She didn’t even pretend to resist. No way. He was altogether too good at kissing. What else could she do but let him inside?
So strange. All those years they were just friends. And now…this. She didn’t want it to end. But of course it would. It was bound to. That’s why they called it a fling.
He breathed her name against her parted lips.
She returned the favor. “Josh…”
And right then, a small fist knocked on the door. “Mom! You in there?”
With a crooked smile, Josh stepped back as someone knocked again, and Shane called, “Dad! Come on, we’re ready…”
“We’ll be right out,” Josh promised, holding her gaze, making her think of the nights she’d spent in his arms—the nights that would end as soon as she told him.
Which I will do, she vowed for the umpteenth time.Just not this weekend.
“Meet you guys downstairs!” she called. “Three minutes, max.”
“’Kay!” replied Dillon.
Two sets of small feet retreated. She heard Dillon’s laugh as the boys headed down the stairs. Josh turned away then, grabbed her hat from the foot of the bed and returned it to her.
“Tonight,” he said.
She put on the hat and knew that there was no way shewould pass up another sweet, sexy night with him. Still, she teased, “I’ll think about it.”
“So will I.” His voice was rough, just a hungry scrape of sound. “You can count on that.” Easing around her, he pulled open the door and gestured her out ahead of him.
Chapter Three
It was a great day. Shane said it was the best birthday party any kid ever had. He caught two trout—a rainbow and a cutthroat. Dillon caught one. As for Riley, she caught three. Josh caught the limit of six. He released all but one, explaining that he made it a rule to only keep what would be eaten that day.
Back in the house, they had a quick lunch, after which Josh cleaned their catch in the utility room sink. Riley had cleaned a lot of fish in her day, but this time she made a point not to watch the process too closely. Queasiness hadn’t been much of a problem for her with this baby or with Dillon, but why tempt fate?
The boys pulled in kitchen chairs to stand on and observed the process with great interest, asking an endless series of questions and declaring the whole thing “gross.” A moment later, they were begging to be able to help do the “yucky” job themselves.
“It’ll be a few years before you two will be cleaning your own catch,” Josh explained. “A fillet knife is very sharp, and you’re not quite ready to work with one yet.”
“How long until we’ll be ready, Dad?” demanded the birthday boy.
“We’ll see,” Josh replied. “Take it little by little. For now,do just what you’re doing. Watch and ask questions, that’s how you learn…”
Riley found herself thinking what she always thought when she watched him with the boys. Josh was a great dad. He put in his time with his son. He was patient, and he listened. And he would horse around with the kids, too. He played T-ball, catch and tag and gave them piggyback rides.
She had no doubt he would be a fine dad to the baby he didn’t yet know he was having. The thought made her smile. It also caused an ache in the center of her chest. Because like both Dillon and Shane, the baby she was carrying wouldn’t have an old-school nuclear family. From the first, he or she would have two homes—one with Daddy and one with Mommy.
She thought of TJ suddenly—of his big smile, his ready laugh. The ache near her heart throbbed. TJ had been the best dad ever for the one year he’d lived after Dillon came along. Her husband had been a big fan of babywearing. That whole first year, he carried Dillon in a sling against his chest every chance he got…
Tears blurred her vision just from remembering the sweetness of that, baby Dillon cuddled close to his father’s heart.
And wouldn’t you know? Josh chose that moment to glance her way. She read the concern in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He mouthed the question.
She played it off by leaning into it, pressing her hand to her heart and whispering, “You’re the best,” to let him know she appreciated how great he was with the kids.
He seemed reassured—at least, he winked at her and grinned.
With the fish cleaned and in the fridge, they went rock-hunting along the creek and then hiked up a winding trailinto the low hills above the house, stopping for a snack in a small grove of aspens and then heading back down to the house again.
