“Yes, Liam?” the man asked.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
His little finger pointed to me before the little girl began to giggle at something. My love for children was strong, and it was what had driven me to want to become a preschool teacher. I lifted my hand and waved my fingers at them, giving them a wide smile.
The man cleared his throat.
“This is—”
“Melanie,” I said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“I’m Liam! And that’s Uncle Ev.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you and your—Uncle Ev,” I said. “Does the beautiful little girl have a name?”
“Hawy,” Liam said.
“Hailey?” I asked.
“Hadley,” the man said. “And I’m Evan.”
I looked up at him and found him studying me even closer. Though I still had my guard up and was a little intimidated by his size, a man with two obviously well cared for children couldn’t be a psycho serial killer. Could he?
“Sit and warm yourself up,” Evan said.
“Thank you.”
I walked over and sat down on the couch as my eyes continued to watch the little ones. Liam was helping the little girl—who I assumed was his sister—try to do something, and she was getting frustrated with him for taking her toy. She was swatting at him and he was asking her to stop, and all the while I was trying to hold back my giggles.
They were perfect.
I settled back into the couch cushions and sighed as the fire warmed my body. I watched the snow continue to fall outside and started to become concerned for my father. I knew there was plenty of food in the house and that he was capable of making a few things for himself, but he often forgot to take all of his medicine if he wasn’t reminded. Since it was beginning to look like I was going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, I needed to at least be able to call and remind him. Hopefully, Evan had a phone I could use or a charger to charge my own.
Though my body was still tense, I began to relax in his presence. I just hoped I wasn’t making a mistake by letting my guard down.
CHAPTER 5
EVAN
She was beautiful, sitting there on my couch. Her long black hair fell down her back, covering a delicate neck. She had deep blue eyes that seemed to match the warring storm outside. Her short stature brought her only to my chest but, even underneath her bulky coat, I could tell her body housed curves that could make a man salivate. My fingertips burned with electricity while I made her a cup of coffee.
“I made some coffee. Want some?” I asked.
“That would be nice, thank you. My hands are still really cold,” she said.
“I don’t have cream, but I do have sugar.”
“That’s fine. I’m not picky.”
Reaching for the sugar, I craned my neck back to take her in. She was nestled into the cushions of the couch as the kids continued to play. Her voice was light and innocent but held a confidence beneath it. The contrast between her small stature and her slightly aloof nature burned me to my core, and I had to take deep breaths to quell the urges rising in my pelvis.
“Here you go.”
I walked her coffee over to her and she gracefully took it. I sat beside her on the couch as she brought the cup to her lips and I watched the way those plump beauties curved over the edge. My attraction to her was undeniable, but I had to shake myself from it. I had two children that were depending on me during what was looking to be one of the roughest snow storms Montana had ever experienced.
“What the hell were you doing out in this storm?” I asked.
Her eyes slowly panned over toward me, and she regarded me with a cool look that said she didn’t appreciate me questioning her.
“I met a friend for breakfast and didn’t quite make it back in time. Not that I owe you an explanation,” she added, with a hint of annoyance.
I bit back a smile. She was definitely an odd creature. At times, she seemed nervous and guarded, then she became indignant and confident. I was beyond intrigued.
I studied her, trying to keep my eyes off the parts of her my hands wanted to touch, while her gaze moved back over to the kids. There was an untamed sparkle in her eye as she watched them play, and it made something in my gut twist. For the briefest of moments, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to have this beautiful woman here with me and the kids. She seemed taken with them, her demeanor immediately changing when she turned her attention to them.
Liam climbed out of the playpen, leaving Hadley squalling in his wake. As I went to stand, Melanie beat me to it and strode over to pick up the crying baby. She bounced her on her hip and make soft cooing noises that had Hadley soon giggling instead.