A Man Not Her Own Page 5

  “I know.” Sarah hugged her friend again.

  Mitch shook hands with Trevor. “Hey, man. That’s good news. Congratulations.”

  Trevor nodded. “Thanks. I’d heard you’d moved back to Stone Creek. We’ll have to get together and catch up on old times.”

  “Sounds good. Have you eaten? Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

  “Oh, please do. We can help you celebrate,” Sarah said, giving Trevor a quick hug.

  “Thanks for the offer,” he said, “but we just finished eating. Beth, honey, we need to get going if we don’t want to be late for the movie.”

  Sarah hugged Beth again. “Call me.”

  “I will.” One more hug and she stepped away, taking hold of Trevor’s hand. “Bye, folks.”

  Sarah slid back into the booth, and Mitch sat down next to her again.

  “I’m so happy for them.” She watched Beth and Trevor herd Maggie toward the door. Another baby would be nice, Sarah thought wistfully. Though more than likely, it would never happen.

  “What do you want to eat?” Mitch asked, looking the menu over.

  “I don’t know. What’s good?” Sarah dragged her attention back to the table.

  “Can we have pizza, Mom?” Josh asked. “I love pizza. Pepperoni and chocolate olives. Mm-mm.”

  “Chocolate olives?” Lindsey looked at Josh like he was crazy.

  Mitch looked at him, too.

  Josh blushed and laughed. “You tell them, Mom.”

  Both father and daughter turned their attention to Sarah. Both had dark brown eyes and held their heads the same way. Same attitude. Maybe that was one of the reasons they were having such a hard time of it.

  “When Josh was a baby—”

  “Hey, I was three years old, not a little baby.”

  “Who’s telling this story?”

  He smiled his crooked little boy smile that made Sarah’s heart squeeze tight. “Sorry, Mom. Go ahead.”

  “Anyway, whenever his father and I took him out to eat, he wouldn’t eat anything except a dish of black ripe olives. He’d put them on his fingers and eat them right off. He called them ‘chocolate olives,’ because they were brown, not really black. And that’s what we’ve called them ever since.”

  Lindsey laughed and ruffled his hair. “Pretty cool, JC. I like chocolate olives, too.”

  “Cool! Hey, can we go play the video games?”

  Sarah shook her head. “After we eat.”

  “Aw, Mo-om.”

  “Josh, hush.”

  The waitress came and took their orders. After she left, the conversation became awkward. Sarah tried to ignore the feel of Mitch’s hard muscled body sitting so close. Her stomach clenched and her palms were beginning to sweat.

  Not good.

  “Maybe we could play one game while we wait?” Lindsey said.

  “Could we?” Josh placed his hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please?”

  Sarah looked at Mitch. That was a huge mistake. He smiled and those dimples melted her insides. Definitely not good. She sighed in relief when the waitress brought their drinks. Josh took a quick sip and begged to play video games again.

  Sarah frowned at her son. “Josh, I don’t think there’s time—”

  “It takes a while for the pizzas to bake,” Mitch said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few dollar bills. “Here you go. One, maybe two games apiece, then come back.”

  “Cool! Thanks.” Josh dashed across the dining area to the corner where the electronic games stood. Lindsey followed more slowly.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Sarah said, embarrassed by Josh’s behavior, and disturbed by Mitch’s close proximity. She tried scooting over, except there wasn’t any room; she was already smushed against the wall.

  “Sorry about what?”

  “Josh shouldn’t whine and beg like that.”

  Mitch adjusted his position, so he was turned more toward her. Their knees bumped, sending a jolt of awareness through Sarah. Mitch quickly moved his knee away.

  “He’s acting like a kid,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. You’re doing a good job raising him from what I can tell.”

  Sarah had to smile. “You being an expert and all.”

  Mitch grinned back. “You got it. I think I’m getting the hang of this parenting business.”

  “Right.” Sarah sipped her diet soda, not liking how that grin thwacked her in the chest. “That’s why you let me do all the talking with Lindsey’s teacher.”

  “Hey, you were doing much better than I could have, plus you got Lindsey talking to the teacher, too. I didn’t want to mess up a good thing.”

  “Uh-huh. Face it. You were uncomfortable.”

  Mitch took a drink of his root beer, studied the glass, then set it down again. “Yeah, I was. I don’t know about Lindsey, but I’m glad you came along. Especially since she’s been in school for only a few weeks. She wasn’t comfortable, either.”

  “I was happy to help. But there was no need to buy Josh and me dinner, you know.”

  “It’s the least I could do.” He took another drink and looked across the restaurant in the direction of the kids. “They’re having a blast over there.”

  “Yes, they get along well.” Both kids were engrossed in one of the games, Josh talking a mile a minute, if the movement of his head was any indication. Sarah hoped he wouldn’t put up a fuss about coming back to the table.

  “So, how’s the photography business going?” she said, trying to keep the conversation from lagging.

  Mitch shrugged. “It’s going, as Lindsey would say. That’s her pat answer whenever I ask about her day at school.”

  Those intense brown eyes on her again made Sarah want to squirm. He was sitting so darn close. She wished the kids would come back. Lowering her gaze to the tablecloth, she traced the red and white squares with one finger. “Lindsey told me you’ve got quite a few customers already.”

  “Surprisingly, yes. It helped that the Little League gave me the contract for team pictures. Um, Sarah?”

  “Yes?” Did his voice have to be so low and husky? The upholstered bench dipped beneath her butt. Dear God, was he moving closer?

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  Say something, Sarah. You can’t spend the whole evening staring at the tablecloth. She inhaled a deep breath and looked up. “Nothing’s wrong. So, the Little League gave you a contract? That’s wonderful. How’d that happen?”

  Mitch searched her face, and Sarah bravely held his gaze. He leaned back against the seat. “It pays to know the right people. My brother Marco knows the league president.”

  “That was lucky.”

  “You bet. Business is getting off to a good start.”

  Sarah sipped her soda, determinedly tamping down the demons. “Do you miss Los Angeles?”

  Mitch picked up a breadstick. “Business was good. The money was great. Fact is, I don’t really miss it.”

  “You did a wonderful thing, bringing Lindsey back to Stone Creek, sacrificing your career for your daughter. That took a lot of guts.”

  “Hey, I’m not a hero or anything. I did it in self-defense. I need my family to help me through this. I want Lindsey to bond with my mom and my brothers and sister.”

  Sarah stared at him in amazement. The former bad boy of Stone Creek was talking about needing help and bonding? Obviously, Mitch Defalco had changed during the years he’d been away. For the better, as far as she could tell.

  Lifting her glass, Sarah smiled. “To parenthood.”

  With a skeptical look in his eye, Mitch touched his glass to hers. “To parenthood.”

  ****

  The phone rang in the middle of the night and woke Sarah from a fitful sleep. She squinted at the clock. Three fifteen.

  What in the world? She snatched up the phone on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Sarah, this is Mitch. Could you come over here? Lindsey’s sick and I don’t know what to do.”

  “I can�
��t leave Josh—”

  “I’ll come get him.” Click.

  Sarah climbed out of bed and grabbed a robe, pushing her feet into her slippers, brushing her hair out of her face. By the time she got to the kitchen, Mitch was already knocking on the door.

  She opened it and he practically pushed his way inside. His hair was mussed, he didn’t have a shirt on, his jeans were unsnapped and his feet were bare.

  He glanced around the kitchen, ran his fingers through all that thick black hair, looking a little wild. And sexy as all get out.

  “Where’s Josh?” he said. “I’ll carry him to my house and he can sleep on the couch. We have to hurry. Lindsey is very sick.”

  The man stood there, the picture of helplessness and vulnerability. Sarah tamped down the crazy desire to hug him and offer comfort. She touched his elbow instead. “Josh’s room is upstairs, second door on the right. I’ll go on over to see about Lindsey.”

  He put both hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “Thanks. I appreciate this.”

  Sarah wriggled away. “Hey, no problem.”

  Once inside Mitch’s house, Sarah took the stairs two at a time. She quickly found Lindsey’s room. The girl was sitting up in her bed. Her skin was pale, her blond hair matted around her face. She held a small plastic bucket on her lap and she was crying softly.

  “Oh, thank God!” Lindsey sobbed, when Sarah hurried to the bed. “I’m puking my guts up. I feel like I want to die. And Mitch was just making it worse.”

  Sarah sat beside her on the bed. “You’re not going to die, sweetie. Do you have a headache? Does your stomach hurt?”

  “Everything hurts. I feel like crap! Oh, no, not again!” She swallowed a groan and hung her head over the bucket, her body shuddering with each wrenching hack.

  Sarah held her hair out of the way, softly rubbing her back, waiting for the worst to be over.

  When Lindsey finished, she sat straighter and wiped her mouth on a washcloth.

  “Feel better?” Sarah took the bucket. “Want me to freshen the cloth?”

  “Yes, please.” She handed it to Sarah, then scrunched down beneath the covers, shivering. “I’m so cold. God, I hate to be sick.”

  “We all do, sweetie. I’ll be right back. Do you think you could drink a bit of water?”

  She shivered again. “I could try. Thanks for coming over, Mrs. C. Mitch didn’t know what to do. He just stood there looking sick himself. I’m glad he went to get you.” She closed her eyes. “Come right back, okay? I might have to puke again.”

  “Sure thing.”

  In the bathroom, Sarah quickly rinsed the bucket and the washcloth. Spotting a cup near the sink, she assumed it was Lindsey’s and filled it with water. A little ice would be good, but that would have to wait. As she walked back to the bedroom, she wondered where Mitch was and how Josh had reacted to being awakened in the middle of the night.

  “Mrs. C! Hurry!”

  “On my way!” All thoughts of Mitch and Josh scattered as she ran to help Lindsey. Sarah would have to trust Mitch to take care of her son, until his daughter was better.

  ****

  “Where’s my mom?” Josh rubbed his eyes, yawning as Mitch picked him up out of his bed.

  “She’s at my house. Lindsey’s sick.”

  “Oh.” The little boy wrapped his arms trustingly around Mitch’s neck. “Where are you taking me?”

  “My house. You can sleep on the couch.”

  “I need my pillow.”

  Mitch bent to pick it up.

  “And my bear.”

  Mitch picked the bear up, too. “All ready?”

  Josh’s head nodded on Mitch’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. My mom will make Lindsey all better.”

  “Right, sport. That’s why I came to get her.”

  Josh relaxed in his arms, fast asleep again. Mitch shook his head at the resiliency of youth. He hoped Lindsey could bounce back from all the crap she’d gone through. He wished he could make it all better for her.

  Mitch walked across both lawns and entered his house. He carefully set Josh down on the living room couch and covered the boy with the colorful throw Lindsey had insisted on buying on their first shopping trip. It didn’t match anything in the house, but she’d wanted it, so he’d bought it. She’d actually grinned at him in the store. The first smile since they’d met. He’d felt ten feet high.

  She hadn’t smiled much since then, and now she seemed to be deathly ill.

  After adjusting the cover over Josh, Mitch headed upstairs. It had taken longer than he’d planned to wake the boy and bring him over. He hoped to God Sarah could make Lindsey better. Her son certainly had great faith in her nursing abilities. Mitch discovered he did, too.

  He peeked in Lindsey’s room and the sight damn near sucker-punched him in the gut. Sarah sat up in the bed, propped against the pillows, with Lindsey nestled against her under the comforter. Sarah was smoothing back his daughter’s hair. She looked like a natural, with the young girl close by, soothing her, offering her a mother’s healing touch.

  Gratitude, mixed with anger, roiled inside Mitch. Anger that Lindsey was just now getting what she needed, and that he’d been unable to give it to her himself. He could learn, though. He would learn, damn it.

  He opened the door a little wider, and Sarah looked up, putting her finger to her lips. The light was dim. She’d covered the lamp with some kind of scarf, casting the room in a rose-colored haze.

  Mitch walked closer to the bed. “Is she going to be all right?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. When she tried to get up, Lindsey hugged her tighter.

  “Don’t leave me, Mrs. C. Please?”

  Sarah kissed his daughter’s head like it was the most natural thing in the world and eased away. “Let me talk to your father, sweetie. I’ll be right back.”

  Lindsey didn’t open her eyes. “Okay,” she whispered.

  Sarah motioned toward the door and Mitch hesitated. He needed to check on Lindsey for his own peace of mind. He put his hand on her head, touching where Sarah had kissed her. Lindsey opened an eye and offered a weak smile. Mitch bent and kissed her hair, just as Sarah had. Lindsey was his daughter after all. He had the right. Even if they weren’t getting along yet, she was blood of his blood, his child.

  “Get some sleep, kiddo.” He pulled the covers snug over her shoulders and she closed her eyes. One more touch and he turned away, following Sarah out into the hall.

  Chapter Four

  Sarah hugged the edges of her robe tightly together as she waited for Mitch to join her in the hall. When he bent to kiss his daughter, she wanted to cry. The image would be forever imprinted in her brain. The big bad macho man, confident about most things, was unsure of himself when confronted with this new role of parenthood he’d had thrust upon him.

  “How is she?” he asked, pulling the door almost shut. “What’s wrong with her? Should I have called the doctor instead of you?”

  Sarah shook her head. “No, I’m glad you called me. Looks like she has the stomach virus that’s going around. It’s only a twenty-four hour bug, so she should be better tomorrow. I found a bottle of pain reliever in the medicine cabinet and gave her some. I think she’s through puking her guts up, as she would say.”

  He ran his fingers through his already bed-head hair, the muscles of his bare shoulders flexing with the movement. Suddenly, Sarah became aware of the intimacy of the situation. She was in her nightclothes and Mitch was half dressed. She tried not to stare at his bare torso, but that was darn near impossible. Her eyes wandered from the silver medal around his neck, down his lean belly, following the black trail of hair that started at his navel and disappeared behind his unsnapped jeans.

  Sarah took a cautious step backward, trying to put some distance between her and the dangerously virile man standing much too close for comfort. Like she could ever be comfortable with a man like Mitch. He was the personification of the demons haunting her.

  He moved closer, crowding her
space, looking deeply into her eyes. His were so dark, so brown. This late at night, his beard was heavier than usual, making him appear more dangerous. Sarah’s heart picked up in tempo, moving from adagio to allegro so fast, it left her breathless.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said, his voice low and intense. “I had no right to call you like this in the middle of the night. I guess I panicked.”

  His helplessness and honesty compelled Sarah to reach out and touch his arm. His skin was warm and hairy beneath her fingers. Hard and sinewy. She could feel the strength of the man. Except now, he wasn’t so strong. Wasn’t so sure of himself.

  If she were smart, she would jerk back her hand, but there was no way she could do that. For some reason, she felt compelled to reassure Mitch that he’d done okay.

  “You had a right to panic,” she said. “You’re new to all this. Lindsey was sick, I’m right next door, so you called me. It makes perfect sense. Don’t worry about it. You did good.”

  He stared at her hand on his arm, then at her, his heavy-lidded eyes glowing like obsidian in the dim light of the hallway.

  Slowly, carefully, Sarah removed her hand. She felt like she was confronting a wild animal that had spotted prey. She backed up until she bumped the wall.

  Mitch stood where he was, his bare chest rising and falling with each breath he took. His eyes lasered in on her, moving slowly up and down, taking in her tangled hair, her robe and bare toes. Sarah’s breath caught in her throat.

  After a long drawn out moment, Mitch advanced toward her. Sarah pressed herself flat against the wall. Watching. Waiting. For what, she didn’t know. He touched her cheek, so gently, so softly, her heart fluttered in response.

  “I’m grateful for what you’ve done. Thank you, Sarah Smiles.” He bent forward, his mouth so close, she could feel his hot breath.

  For one insane moment, Sarah thought she might welcome his kiss. Quickly, she ducked under his arm and dashed to Lindsey’s door. “I promised Lindsey I’d stay with her until she fell asleep. I hope that’s okay with you.”

  Mitch nodded his head and smiled. “Stay as long as you want, Sarah. As long as Lindsey needs you. As long as it takes.”

  ****