Real Men Don't Quit(24)

It didn’t help much when she drove home—in Luke’s Range Rover—and found he’d mowed her front garden. He’d done a good job, but she wished he hadn’t. Kissing her was one thing, but cutting her lawn was quite another. He was overstepping the boundaries. After she unpacked Chloe from the car, she stuck her head over the fence and saw Luke relaxing on his deck with a can of Coke.

“I didn’t ask for a gardening service,” she said.

He raised his can in mock salute. “You’re welcome.”

“You should be writing, not mowing my lawn.”

“I told you I was taking a few days off.”

“You can’t afford a few days off.” She aimed a frown at him. “You need to get that sequel in or you’ll lose your advance.”

He downed a gulp from the can. “Hey, you’d make a kick-arse agent. I should fire mine and hire you.”

She drew in a breath. In his scruffy shorts and shirt with his jaw unshaven and his hair standing on end, Luke was a far cry from the polished groom of her imagination, but no less potent. She couldn’t help noticing how the thin cotton shirt clung damply to his body, emphasizing his wide shoulders and muscled torso. As she stood there mentally undressing him, he rose to his feet and stripped off his shirt without the least bit of self-consciousness.

She held her breath, unable to speak.

“I’m going for a swim,” he said. “Want to join me?”

Her knees weakened. Oh sweet crackalicious. The sight of his naked, toned upper body was enough to make her mouth water. “N-no thanks. I, um, have work to do.”

“Suit yourself.”

His fingers reached for the fly of his shorts, but she ducked down before he could go any further. Would he really strip down out in the open? Did he wear boxers or briefs or did he go commando? Blast, resisting his charms was tougher than she’d imagined.

Chloe tugged at her skirt. “Are we going swimming?”

“Not today, darling.” The way she was feeling, if they went swimming with Luke, she was liable to jump him right in front of her child.

Her daughter pouted a little before cheering up. “Okay. I’m gonna give Miss Pinkie a bath.” She rushed inside the house, clutching onto “Miss Pinkie,” the pink pony Luke had given her.



Midmorning Wednesday, Luke found himself at a loose end. Earlier, he’d gone for a run. Then he’d mown the grass in Tyler’s backyard, pruned some of her wilder shrubs, and hosed down her veranda. Peering through her kitchen window, he could see plenty of tidying up needing to be done inside, but it would be more than weird to break into her house to sweep up the crumbs on the floor.

He had zero desire to do any writing and hadn’t even opened his laptop since he’d gotten back from Sydney. There would probably be a few urgent e-mails from his agent, but he didn’t want to spoil the mild autumn morning. He decided to catch the bus into town and drop in at Java & Joolz to inspect the earrings Tyler had suggested he buy for Helen’s birthday.

The store was buzzing when he walked in. A group of customers browsed the gallery, while most of the tables on the other side of the store were occupied. Tyler was busy at the espresso machine. When she caught sight of him, she blew a lock of hair away from her face and gave him a quick grin.

“The lunch-hour crush has started early today,” she said. “What can I get you? Double espresso like usual?”

“I don’t want to add to your load. I just stopped by to look at those earrings you thought Helen would like.”

“Oh, sure, I—”

Chloe hurling herself at Tyler’s legs interrupted them. “Mumma, can I have a muffin?”

Tyler wiped her forearm across her brow. “You’ve already had one, sweetie.”

“But I’m hungry.” The girl screwed up her face, looking set to bawl.

“Just wait a few more minutes and I’ll get you a sandwich or something.” She cast a desperate glance at the food on display. All the sandwiches were gone, and everything else looked laden with sugar.

“Why don’t I take Chloe out for lunch?” Luke said. He cocked his head at the little girl. “Would you like that? We could get a sandwich and chocolate milk from the deli down the road.”

The girl bounced up and down and grabbed hold of Luke’s hand. “Yay!”

“Is that okay?” he asked Tyler. “We’ll only be half an hour, and we won’t be far. I have my phone with me.”

She glanced uncertainly between him and her daughter. “I don’t want to burden you.”

“It’s no burden, honest. Besides, you did tell my sisters I was going to babysit Chloe, and I didn’t contradict you. You wouldn’t want to make a liar out of me, would you?”

Tyler nodded. “Okay, but be back in thirty minutes or I’ll come looking for you.”

He waved at her and walked out the store with Chloe. Considering the intimacies he and Tyler had already shared, she was being a tad overprotective about her daughter. But that was just what he’d come to expect from her. Regardless of who it was, she didn’t let go of her child very easily. Chloe had no such qualms. She skipped along beside him, one chubby hand wrapped in his, the other gripping onto the pink pony he’d bought her. The complete trust she had in him made his heart warm.

At the deli he ordered ham-and-tomato sandwiches and chocolate milks for both of them. They sat in the small park next to the deli and ate while Chloe regaled him with lengthy stories about the adventures of Miss Pinkie the pink pony.

“My grammy has ponies, too,” Chloe said between bites of her sandwich. “Real ones. She says I can ride one when I visit her.”

She was talking about Gretchen, the mother of Tyler’s ex, Luke realized. The woman who wanted Chloe to live permanently with her, though obviously the girl had no clue about that. She simply thought she’d be visiting with Tyler.

“I have another grammy,” Chloe continued. “I saw her at Aunt Daphne’s, but I’m not allowed to call her ‘Grammy.’ She’s too young to be a grammy, she said.”

Luke suppressed a sigh. Poor little darling, having two self-centered grandmothers. And poor Tyler too, getting no support from either woman, just a whole lot of criticism. For all her feistiness and willingness to do battle, Tyler was still vulnerable, and she could use someone in her corner. Someone like him? Immediately he shook his head. No, she needed someone who would stick around for the long haul, someone who could give her stability and security. Someone not like him. He was just the itinerant friend who dropped in now and then. Like his dad, unable to stick around? No, he hadn’t made promises to anyone.

“Do you want to play on the swings?” he asked, nodding toward the set across the park where another little girl was being pushed by her mother.

“No,” Chloe said swiftly.

He caught her apprehensive stare at the swings. “Why not?”

The girl frowned down at her shoes. “I don’t want to fall. Mumma always says she’ll catch me, but I’m scared she won’t.”

Shoot, what had he said now? Buying Chloe lunch and pink toys was easy, but addressing her fears wasn’t. For all his babysitting experience, he suddenly felt way out of his depth. He cleared his throat. “Hey, you know your mum’s always going to be there. She wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Chloe wriggled her foot, still frowning. “Really?”

Luke hesitated. He shouldn’t be making promises on Tyler’s behalf, but the girl was looking for reassurance. “Really.”

Her face cleared and she tugged at his hand. “Can I go on the slide?”

Wondering if he’d handled the situation properly, he laughed and allowed her to pull him to his feet. “Sure, moppet.”

When their half an hour was up, they headed back to Java & Joolz.

“Sounds like you had a good time,” Tyler said to Luke when Chloe had finished telling her everything and run back to her corner table. “Thanks for taking her out. It’s hard on her to be cooped up here all morning.”

Luke shrugged. “It was a pleasure, honestly.” Even if Chloe had made him realize there was a lot about parenting he didn’t know. Luckily, fatherhood wasn’t in his plans, so he needn’t worry about being bad at it.

Now that the lunchtime bustle in the store had died down, he had ample opportunity to enjoy the sight of Tyler. Ever since they’d almost ended up in bed, she had occupied a large proportion of his thoughts. Today she wore a lace-trimmed top and a fluttery, long skirt belted tight around her slim waist. Her hair trailed down her back in loose red ruffles, and her skin was pure cream with just a dusting of freckles. Narrowing his gaze on her, he folded his arms across his chest and breathed in slowly. Mmmshe was just so damn enticing. Pity circumstances were so complicated. If only

“Luke?” Tyler’s eyes sparkled mischievously, as if she could read every one of his wandering thoughts.

“Hmm?” Maybe he should put his panting tongue away.

“Do you want to see those earrings now?”

Earrings Oh yeah, those earrings for Helen. He nodded and followed her across the store. When he saw the pieces, he bought them on the spot, knowing they’d be a perfect gift for his sister.