“Gee, thanks,” I said.
He chuckled; a wonderful sound I hadn’t heard in too long. “Don’t get me wrong, I love having you here, but I need to start taking care of myself. I even figured out how to set the alarm on this damn phone to remind me to take my pills.”
“That’s good, Dad,” I said, relieved.
“More importantly, Melanie, how are you? I’m not thrilled that you are stuck with a strange man. You know, you can call the sheriff and he’ll get the plows out if you think you’re in danger.”
I sighed. My poor father had been through just as much as I had, possibly worse. The helplessness that he’d felt during my ordeal had aged him. “I’m okay, Dad, really. Evan is a good man. He’s thoroughly devoted to his niece and nephew and has been nothing but kind and hospitable,” I assured him.
“Well, that’s good. The forecast is calling for more snow, so it looks like you are stuck there for a bit longer,” he said.
My father and I finished up the conversation with me promising to call him later, and him reassuring me that he was getting on all right. My fears were somewhat allayed by the time I hung up the phone.
If only I knew what in the hell I was supposed to do cooped up with a dangerously handsome man for a few more days.
CHAPTER 9
EVAN
After bringing Melanie’s car back up to the cabin, I needed to go and retrieve my snowmobile. It was blustery as I trudged the quarter mile back to where I’d left the sled. By the time I reached it, my face and hands were practically numb. I jumped on the sled and let out a breath when it started easily under me.
I rode back to the cabin thinking about how much things had changed in the past couple of days. I’d gone from being petrified to be stuck alone with the kids, to rescuing a beautiful woman whose mere presence made me more confident. I thought back to earlier when I’d come in and heard the kids giggling wildly down the hallway.
I loved that sound so much. I loved the way Liam’s high-pitched laughter filled the corners of the cabin. I loved the way Hadley clapped her hands whenever she giggled, encouraging Liam to keep going with whatever it was that made him so happy. It was a sound that had made me smile so many times in the past few months.
I promised myself that I would always make it a point to make those kids laugh and be happy.
I put the snowmobile in the shed and made my way to the cabin. As I stepped onto the porch, I saw them playing in the window. Melanie was tossing Hadley into the air and catching her while my niece donned the biggest smile I’d ever seen. Liam was twirling around on the coffee table about to take a tumble before Melanie reached her arm out, catching him and spinning him around with Hadley in her arms.
I walked into the cabin and tossed my coat and gloves in a pile by the fire. Liam came running to me and wrapped his arms around my leg. I picked him up and held him close to me as Melanie approached my side, then I scooped Hadley into my arms as well and held them both close.
“Mew’s funny,” Liam said.
“She is, is she?” I asked.
“We jumped and played cars!” Liam exclaimed.
“Sounds like you had fun,” I said.
Hadley answered me with a resounding spit bubble.
Melanie threw her head back and laughed, and I allowed the sound to cascade over my body. I put Liam back down on the floor and Hadley back in her playpen. I turned to the kitchen to make some coffee to warm myself but saw that Melanie had beat me to it.
I stepped up next to her and she handed me a steaming cup. As I took it from her, my fingers brushed hers and a jolt of electricity shot through my entire system. The flush that crept up her neck and settled in her cheeks nearly undid me where I stood.
I knew she had felt what I had. Her eyes lingered on me a little longer than they should have, and everything within me wanted to kiss her. I wanted to draw her petite body into my arms and press her flush against my chest. I wanted to cup her cheek and smooth my thumb over the rosy tint of her skin. I wanted to pull her lips up to mine and cradle her in my arms, warming her from the inside out before I dove into the depths of her body.
Liam’s voice from behind me brought me back to my senses and I cleared my throat as I stepped away from Melanie.