Sheltered by the Millionaire(3)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, God. Her baby was safe.

"You're okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, Mommy. The t'naydo came and I was a very brave girl. I did  just what Miss Vicky told me to do. I sat under the stairs and hugged my  knees tight with one arm and I held my friend Caitlyn's hand 'cause she  was scared."

"You did well, Evie, I'm so proud of you." She kissed her daughter's  forehead, taking in the hint of her daughter's favorite raspberry  shampoo. "I love you so much."

"Love you, too, Mommy." She squeezed hard, holding on tightly as Whit helped the other students through.

Once the last child stepped free, Whit urged everyone to file away from  the damaged part of the building. He led them down the hall to where  Sue Ellen had gathered the children in the auditorium, playing music and  passing out cookies and books to the students whose parents hadn't  arrived to pick them up. The school nurse made the rounds checking each  child, dispensing Band-Aids when needed.

Whit's hand went to the small of Megan's back again with an ease she didn't have the energy to wonder about right now.

"Megan, you should see the nurse about your scratches from the  accident. The air bag has left some burns that could use antiseptic  too-"

She shook her head. "I will later. For now she's got her hands full with the children and they need her more."

Evie squirmed in her arms. "Can I get a cookie? I'm reallllly hungry."

"Of course, sweetie." She gave her daughter another hug, not sure when  she would ever be okay with letting her out of her sight.

Evie raced across the gym floor as if the whole world hadn't just been blown upside down. Literally.

Whit laughed softly. "Resilient little scrap."

"More so than her mom, I'm afraid." Megan sagged and sat down on the metal riser.

"All Evie knows is that everyone is okay and you're here." Whit sat  beside her, his leg pressing a warm reassurance against hers. "Maybe we  should get you one of those cookies and a cup of that juice."

"I'm okay. Really. We should go back to clearing the debris outside."  She braced her shoulders. "I'm being selfish in keeping you all to  myself."

"All the children are accounted for and the teachers have them well in  hand. It's getting dark. I think cleanup will be on hold until the  morning."

What kind of carnage would the morning reveal? Outside, sirens had  wailed for the last twenty minutes. "I should take Evie and check back  in at the shelter. Local animal control will need our help with housing  displaced pets."

"Civilians aren't allowed on the road just yet and you don't have a  car." He nudged her with his shoulder. "Face it, Megan. You can actually  afford to take a few minutes to catch your breath."

The concern in his brown eyes was genuine. The warmth she saw there  washed over her like a jolt of pure java, stimulating her senses. Why  hadn't she ever noticed before what incredibly intense and expressive  eyes he had? Sure, she'd noticed he was sexy, but then any woman who  crossed his path would appreciate Whit Daltry's charismatic good looks.  And in fact, that had been a part of what turned her off for the past  three years-how easily women fell into his arms. She'd let herself be  conned by a man like that and it had turned her life upside down.

But the warmth in his eyes now, the caring he'd shown in helping her  get to Evie today presented a new side to Whit she'd never seen before.  He might not be romance material for her, but he'd been a good guy just  now and that meant a lot to a woman who didn't accept help easily.

She slumped back against the riser behind her. "Thank you for what you  did for me today-for me and for Evie. I know you would have done the  same for anyone stranded on the road." As she said the words she  realized they were true. Whit wasn't the one-dimensional bad guy she'd  painted him to be the past few years. There were layers to the man.  "Still, the fact is, you were there for my child and I'll never forget  that."                       
       
           



       

He smiled, his brown eyes twinkling with a hint of his devilish charm.  "Does that mean I'm forgiven for refusing to let the shelter build on  that tract of land you wanted so much?"

Layers. Definitely. Good-and bad. "I may be grateful, but I didn't develop amnesia."

He chuckled, a low rumble that drew a laugh from her, and before she  knew what she was doing, she dropped her hand to his shoulder and  squeezed.

"Thank you." She leaned to kiss his cheek in a heartfelt thank-you just as he turned to answer.

Their lips brushed. Just barely skimmed, but a crackle shot through her  so tangibly she could have sworn the storm had returned with a bolt of  lightning.

Gasping, she angled back, her eyes wide, his inscrutable.

She inched along the riser. "I need to get Evie...and um, thank you."

She shot to her feet, racing toward her daughter, away from the temptation to test the feeling and kiss him again.

That wasn't what she'd expected. At all. But then nothing about Whit  had ever been predictable, damn his sexy body, hot kiss and hero's  rescue. She'd been every bit as gullible as her mother once. And while  she could never regret having Evie in her life, she damn well wouldn't  fall victim to trusting an unworthy man again. She owed it to Evie to  set a better example, to break the cycle the women in her family seemed  destined to repeat.

And if that meant giving up any chance for another toe-searing kiss from Whit Daltry, then so be it.





Two

Six Weeks Later

The wild she-cat in his arms left scratches on his shoulders.

Whit Daltry adjusted his hold on the long-haired calico, an older  female kitten that had wandered-scraggly and with no collar-onto the  doorstep of his Pine Valley home. Luckily, he happened to know the very  attractive director of Royal's Safe Haven Animal Shelter.

He stepped out of his truck and kicked the door closed, early morning  sunshine reflecting off his windshield. Not a cloud in the sky, unlike  that fateful day the F4 tornado had ripped through Royal, Texas. The  shelter had survived unscathed, but the leaves had been stripped from  the trees, leaving branches unnaturally bare for this region of Texas,  even in November. The town bore lasting scars from that day that would  take a lot longer to heal than the scratches from the frantic calico.

He should have gotten one of those pet carriers or a box to transport  the cat. If the beast clawed its way out of his arms, chances were the  scared feline would bolt away and be tough as hell to catch again.  Apparently he wasn't adept at animal rescue.

That was Megan's expertise.

The thought of seeing her again sent anticipation coursing through him  as each step brought him closer to the single-story brick structure.  Heaven knew he could use a distraction from life right now. For six  weeks, ever since they'd shared that kiss after the tornado, he'd been  looking for an excuse to see her, but the town had been in chaos  clearing the debris. Some of his properties had been damaged as well. He  owned multiple apartment buildings and rental homes all over town. And  while he might have a lighthearted approach to his social life, he was  serious when it came to business and was always damn sure going to be  there for his tenants when they needed him.

He'd thrown himself into the work to distract himself from the biggest  loss of all-the death of his good friend Craig Richardson in the storm.  It had sent him into shock for the first couple of weeks, as he grieved  for Craig and tried to find ways to help his pal's widow. God, they were  all still in a tailspin and he didn't know if he would be in any better  shape by the memorial service that was scheduled for after  Thanksgiving.

So he focused on restoring order to the town, the only place he'd ever  called home after a rootless childhood being evicted from place after  place. And with each clean-up operation, he thought back to the day of  the storm, to clearing aside the rubble in the day care.

To Megan's kiss afterward.

Sure the kiss had been impulsive and motivated by gratitude, and she'd  meant to land it on his cheek. But he would bet good money that she'd  been every bit as affected by the spontaneous kiss as he was.

Granted, he'd always been attracted to her in spite of their sparring.  But he'd managed to keep a tight rein on those feelings for the three  and a half years he'd known her because she'd made it clear she found  him barely one step above pond scum. Now, he couldn't ignore the  possibility that the chemistry was mutual. So finally, here he was. He  had the perfect excuse, even if it wasn't the perfect time.                       
       
           



       

And Megan wouldn't be able to avoid him as she'd been doing since their  clash over the site where she'd wanted the new shelter built. A battle  he'd won. Although from the sleek look of the Safe Haven facility, she'd  landed on her feet and done well for the homeless four-legged residents  of Royal, Texas.