There were shadows in his eyes. He was revealing a tiny part of himself here. Maybe without even knowing it. And that was the second time this had happened. First with the comment about things always staying inside you, and now about knowing people-who to stay away from. How had he learned that lesson? It was painful to even think about it.
She reached up and touched the side of his face with her free hand. Bristles. Dan hadn't managed to shave yet and they felt good beneath her smooth skin. She even liked the sound.
;And do you want to steer clear of me, Dan?' He was staring at her with those dark brown eyes. Pulling her in. Thank goodness she was sitting or her legs would currently be like jelly.
There was comfort here. Because she knew what he was about to say. Didn't doubt it for a second. This connection was the truest thing she'd felt in a long time.
He gave her that sexy smile. The one that made her stomach flip over. ;Not for a second,' he whispered, and leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.
It was beautiful. The gentlest of kisses.
Just as well. She still had Abraham in her arms. Under any other circumstances she might feel the urge to throw her dressing gown to the wind and jump up onto his lap.
He was concentrating solely on her mouth. His hand still only brushing the side of her face as their kiss deepened and his tongue edged its way into her mouth.
She could feel the heat rush through her, warming her chilled legs and feet and spreading to a whole host of other places.
She could concentrate solely on this. She could concentrate solely on Dan. Once he started kissing her nothing else mattered. Her brain didn't have room for a single thought.
But as if sensing where this could go, Dan pulled back.
And for a second she felt lost. Until she opened her eyes again and realised he was smiling at her.
;What do you think, Carrie McKenzie? Will you be my partner in crime? Can Abraham and I count on you?'
She narrowed her eyes at him. Boy, he was good. With his fancy words and his kisses. His help-the-baby plea. This man could charm the birds out of the trees.
Just as well she was the only bird around.
She lifted her eyebrows. ;Are you doing this for the chocolate cake?'
He smiled. ;I'm definitely doing it for the chocolate cake.'
;Well, that makes us even, 'cause I'm doing this for the carrot cake-and the pancakes.' She liked this. She liked that they could fall back into flirting so easily, even after her monumental revelation.
;Just what I like-a woman with her priorities in order.' He pushed himself up from the sofa and held out his hands for Abraham.
;Don't you want me to take a turn for a while?'
;Oh, no.' He shook his head firmly as he gathered Abraham into his arms and took a long look at her bare legs and painted toenails. ;What I want is for you to put some clothes on. You're way too distracting without them.'
She stood up, deliberately letting her dressing gown open, just to annoy him. ;Well, we wouldn't want any distractions, would we?' she teased as she headed to the door.
There was some colour in his cheeks. A guy like Dan couldn't be embarrassed. Not when he looked like that. He must have women throwing themselves at him all the time-particularly when he was in uniform.
She saw him shifting uncomfortably, adjusting himself. No! She'd caused an age-old reaction with a few cheeky words and a flash of skin. Her cheeks started to blush, too.
And then she started to smile.
It was starting to feel as if she had some control back. As if everything in life wouldn't just slip through her fingers like grains of sand on the beach.
She turned the handle on the door.
;Carrie?'
She spun around.
Dan was standing with Abraham in his arms. Looking every inch the gorgeous family man. Looking every inch like the man she pictured in her dreams about the life she wanted to have.
;Hurry back.'
She tried to think of something witty or clever to say. But she had nothing.
;Absolutely,' she muttered as she sped up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her.
Her brain had just flipped into a spin cycle again.
It was certifiable. Daniel Cooper was driving her crazy.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BY NOW DAN should have been a crumpled heap on the floor. He'd spent most of last night walking the floor with a sometimes whimpering, sometimes screaming baby. At one point he'd put Abraham back in the crib and gone to stand in the kitchen for a few minutes to catch his breath.
But from the moment Carrie had appeared, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after a good night's sleep, he'd felt instantly invigorated.
There was something about her brown curls, blue eyes and flash of skin that was slowly but surely driving him crazy.
And now he knew.
Now he understood.
Well, not entirely. God willing he'd never really understand what it felt like to lose a child. But at least now he had an explanation for the shadows beneath her eyes. The moments of panic that he'd seen and recognised. Her abruptness. Her lack of confidence in herself.
What he couldn't understand was why Carrie couldn't see what he could see. A remarkably caring and competent woman who seemed to have a real empathy with this little baby.
For some reason Carrie's news reassured him a little. He'd known there was something wrong but hadn't quite been able to put his finger on it. His instincts told him she was a good person and not a crazed baby-snatcher or madly unstable.
Carrie McKenzie was probably the bravest woman he'd ever met. And that included his grandmother.
She'd put the needs of this little baby-a child she didn't know-before her own needs, even though it was apparent at times her heart was clearly breaking. How many other people did he know who could have done this?
A smile danced across his lips as he remembered her reaction to Shana's ;suck it up' comment. No wonder she'd been so horrified.
This was truly her worst nightmare and she'd just lived through thirty-odd hours of it, with only a few minor hiccups along the way.
He'd been right to let her sleep. It seemed to have given her new strength and the confidence to share. And he was glad she'd shared.
He'd just resisted the temptation to gather her into his arms and try to take her pain away. Because something told him this was all new for her. Sharing about this was all new for her, and he had to let her go at her own pace.
And while it seemed the most unlikely solution, holding Abraham had seemed to give her comfort at that moment. Which was why he'd resorted to the smallest movement-the hand squeeze-to show his support.
What did this mean now for them?
Now that she'd shared he'd given her the opportunity to walk away. To stop making things so hard on herself. But she was determined to stay and help. And his sense of relief was overwhelming. If left to himself, he was sure he could muddle through. But having someone else there-even a little reluctantly-was more help than she could imagine.
As for the kiss?
How much was Carrie ready to move on?
Because being in a confined space with her was going to drive him crazy-in a good way. Now that he'd tasted her sweet lips and felt the warmth of her body next to his it just made him crave her all the more.
Carrie wasn't like any other woman that he'd met.
Girls in New York weren't shy. Reserved was an extinct term around here.
He was used to women throwing themselves at him, in pursuit of either a relationship or something far hotter.
It was just the way of the world these days.
But truth be told, it wasn't really Dan's world. It wasn't really the family values his grandmother had brought him up with. They, in themselves, were almost laughable. His mother certainly hadn't had any family values-no matter what her family had taught her. And that had reflected badly on Dan.
His grandmother had patched him up, fought fiercely for him and his mother's name was never mentioned in the house again.
And that was fine with him. For years she haunted his dreams most nights anyway.
But Carrie McKenzie, with her too-blue eyes and quiet nature, was slowly but surely getting under his skin in a way no other woman had.
It was clear there were some aspects of life they disagreed on. But did that mean it would be pointless to pursue anything else? Dan wasn't sure. He still had his own demons to deal with. And the situation with Abraham was only heightening a whole host of emotions he'd buried for so long.
His stomach grumbled loudly just as Carrie burst back through the door, wearing a pink shirt and jeans, her hair tied up in a loose knot. She laughed at the sound of his stomach. ;You called?'
He nodded at her hands that were clutched to her chest holding a jar of lemon marmalade. ;It's getting to the stage I won't even fight you about the toast and marmalade. You've starved me so long I'm ready to concede.' He walked over to the crib and laid Abraham back down.
She strode over to the toaster and slid the last of the bread into place. ;I'll concede on one thing. I'll make you coffee instead of tea-but only since you had such a bad night. I might make some scones this afternoon and make you drink tea, then.'
He felt his ears literally prick up. The cupboards' supplies were getting low-even though it had only been a few days. The cakes yesterday had been a real boost. Scones today? Even better.