She stepped past him and surveyed the large bed with the burgundy-and-navy duvet. “This was supposed to be your room. I know you would have been comfortable here.” She turned to face him. “I’m sorry, Leo. I feel terrible about shortchanging you.”
He touched her arm. Only for a second. The smile disappeared, but his eyes were warm and teasing. “I’m pretty happy where I ended up. A gorgeous woman. A cozy cabin. Sounds like I won the jackpot.”
“You’re flirting,” she said, hearing the odd and embarrassingly breathless note in her voice.
His gaze was intent, sexy…leaving no question that he was interested. “I’ve been admonished to stop and smell the roses. And here you are.”
Removing her coat that suddenly felt too hot, she leaned against the door frame. The odd sensation of being inside the house but having the sunlight spill down from above was disconcerting. “You may find me more of a thorn. My sister says that living alone up here has made me set in my ways.” It was probably true. Some days she felt like a certified hermit.
Once a social animal comfortable at cocktail parties and business lunches, she now preferred the company of chipmunks and woodpeckers and the occasional fox. Dull, dull, dull…
Leo kicked aside a dangerously sharp portion of what had been the dresser mirror. “I’ll take my chances. I’ve got nowhere to go and nobody to see, as my grandfather used to say. You and Teddy brighten the prospect of my long exile considerably.”
“Are you ever going to tell me why you’re here?” she asked without censoring her curiosity.
He shrugged. “It’s not a very interesting story…but maybe…when it’s time.”
“How will you know?” This odd conversation seemed to have many layers. Her question erased Leo’s charmingly flirtatious smile and replaced it with a scowl.
“You’re a pain in the butt,” he said, the words a low growl.
“I told you I’m no rose.”
He took her arm and steered her toward the front door. “Then pretend,” he muttered. “Can you do that?”
Their muted altercation was interrupted by the arrival of the insurance agent. The next hour was consumed with questions and photographs and introducing Leo to the agent. The two men soon had their heads together as they climbed piles of rubble and inspected every cranny of the doomed cabin.
Phoebe excused herself and walked down the path, knowing that Allison would be ready to go home. As she opened the door and entered the cabin, Teddy greeted her with a chortle and a grin. Envy pinched her heart, but stronger still was happiness that the baby recognized her and was happy to see her.
Given Phoebe’s background, her sister had been torn about the arrangement. But Phoebe had reassured her, and eventually, her sister and brother-in-law gave in. Dragging a baby across the ocean was not an easy task in ideal circumstances, and facing the disposal of an entire estate, they knew Teddy would be miserable and they would be overwhelmed.
Still, Phoebe knew they missed their small son terribly. They used FaceTime to talk to him when Phoebe went into town and had a decent phone signal, and she sent them constant, newsy updates via email and texts. But they were so far away. She suspected they regretted their decision to leave him. Probably, they were working like fiends to take care of all the estate business so they could get back to the U.S. sooner.
When Allison left, Phoebe held Teddy and looked out the window toward the other cabin. Leo and the insurance agent were still measuring and assessing the damage. She rubbed the baby’s back. “I think Santa has sent us our present early, my little man. Leo is proving to be a godsend. Now all I have to do is ignore the fact that he’s the most attractive man I’ve seen in a long, long time, and that he makes it hard to breathe whenever I get too close to him, and I’ll be fine.”
Teddy continued sucking his thumb, his long-lashed eyelids growing heavy as he fought sleep.
“You’re no help,” she grumbled. His weight was comfortable in her arms. Inhaling his clean baby smell made her womb clench. What would it be like to share a child with Leo Cavallo? Would he be a good father, or an absent one?
The man in question burst through the front door suddenly, bringing with him the smell of the outdoors. “Honey, I’m home.” His humor lightened his face and made him seem younger.
Phoebe grinned at him. “Take off your boots, honey.” She was going to have to practice keeping him at arm’s length. Leo Cavallo had the dangerous ability to make himself seem harmless. Which was a lie. Even in a few short hours, Phoebe had recognized and assessed his sexual pull.