The Cowboy's Way(42)

All too soon Heather felt the tightening deep in her lower body reached a crescendo, then set her free as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her. Holding on to T.J. to keep from being swept away, she felt him surge into her one final time. Groaning, he rested his head against her shoulder and joined her in the satisfaction of sweet release.

Heather held his body to hers as she cherished the unbroken connection between them. That’s when she knew for certain they were truly one—one heart and one soul.

Panic began to fill her. Had she done the unthinkable and fallen for T.J.?

After getting to know him, he had turned out to be entirely different from the man she’d first thought him to be. He was kind, caring and the most considerate man she had ever met. And her heart was telling her that she could trust him. When he told her that he would never do anything to cause her or Seth any kind of harm, one look in his eyes left no doubt that he was completely sincere. But it wasn’t always that easy. Sometimes causing someone emotional pain was unintentional and unavoidable.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asked, rolling to her side.

She nodded. “That was...”

Her voice trailed off as she stared at him. The caring she detected in his incredible hazel eyes was breathtaking. If she’d had any last traces of doubt about what she felt for T.J., the look in his eyes would have melted them. She was falling for him and it scared her as little else could.

“Incredible,” he finished for her, unaware of her inner turmoil. Holding her close, he gave her a kiss so tender it brought tears to her eyes. “You’re amazing, Heather.”

She wanted to tell him what a remarkable man he was, how much she appreciated all he had done for her, but she hadn’t yet fully come to terms with her feelings. If she hadn’t already fallen in love with him, she was extremely close.

“That was wonderful,” she said, meaning it. “But I really need to go back to the bedroom I’m sharing with Seth.”

Smiling, he nodded. “I understand, sweetheart.” When he got up from the bed, he didn’t seem the least self-conscious as he retrieved their clothes from the floor and handed hers to her. “I’ll walk you down the hall,” he said, pulling on his jeans.

When she put her clothes on and started for the door, T.J. put his arm around her waist and held her against him as they walked to the room where her son was sleeping.

“You never did tell me what you wanted to talk about,” she commented.

Stopping at the door, he reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “It can wait until morning.” He cupped her face with his palms and gave her a kiss that caused her toes to curl into the thick hall carpet. “Sleep well, Heather.”

As she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, she doubted she would get any sleep. She had a lot to think about and some decisions to make concerning the Circle W and how much she should tell him about her situation.

And if she didn’t have enough on her plate, she had just added one more: the fact that she was falling hopelessly in love with T. J. Malloy.

* * *

When T.J. returned to his house after meeting with the furnace repairman out at the Circle W, he found the note he’d left Heather earlier that morning lying on the kitchen counter, indicating that she was still asleep. Smiling, he walked down the hall to his office. After putting the mail he had picked up from her mailbox on his desk to give to her later, he climbed the stairs and opened the door to her room to check on her and Seth.

“Hi!” Seth said, standing up in the play yard. Grinning, he motioned toward the bed across the room. “Mom-mom seep.”

T.J. put his finger to his lips to silence the toddler and stepped into the room to pick up Seth and carry him out into the hall so he didn’t disturb Heather. “How are you this morning, partner?”

The child babbled something that T.J. didn’t even pretend to understand.

“How would you like to have breakfast with me while we let your mom get some rest?” he asked, carrying Seth downstairs to the kitchen. “Would you like to help me whip up a skillet full of scrambled eggs?”

“Otay,” Seth said, nodding.

T.J. was thankful the kid liked eggs. Aside from making sandwiches, scrambling eggs and popping bread into the toaster were the only culinary skills T.J. possessed.

Gathering all the things he would need, T.J. pulled one of the kitchen chairs over to the counter, stood Seth in the seat and got a mixing bowl down from one of the cabinets. “You can help me scramble the eggs and milk together,” he said, earning a big grin from the little boy. “But when it comes time to cook them on the stove, all you can do is watch. Understand?”