Though, let’s be honest.She was crushing on him hard.
“Mostly, we talked about why we’re coming here. I asked her to think about the things she wanted to keep with her forever, so she’d remember to get them.”
“You did?” How thoughtful was that?
“Well, Deborah suggested we talk about memories as much as we can. That’s how they hold onto them.”
The girls ran to a hedge that bordered the neighbor’s driveway, their noses red, their expressions earnest and intent. “Magic boxes. What a great idea.” Her ears ached from the cold, so she fluffed the scarf to cover them. “That’s not something I’d ever think to do.” Which was pretty depressing, frankly. “I’d be the mom with to-do lists. ‘Make haircut appointments, buy gym shoes, don’t forget supplies for the science project…’ I’d be rushing them from one activity to another.”
“Hey.” Tilting her chin, he gazed into her eyes. The bright blue was a shock against his dark hair and the gray sky. “You’ve been thrown into a situation no one could be prepared for. You haven’t had the luxury of time and experience, so you have no idea what kind of mom you’ll be.”
Maybe he noticed her pulse fluttering wildly in her throat, or maybe he could see the yearning in her eyes, but he cupped her cheeks with both gloved hands as if he might kiss her.Holy hell. His blue eyes burned, and his tongue swept along his plump bottom lip.
Touch mine.
Just the thought of his mouth on hers sent an electric current through her body.
“I think you’ll be an amazing mom.”
“You do?” She liked his hands on her. While the world reeled, and she tried to get her bearings, he pinned her in place.
“I know you, Hailey. I know how much you care. And Darren only came up with that idea because he loved his girls. Believe me, he never offered to makemea magic box.” He grinned.
And it was like the first ray of sunshine breaking over a mountain peak. It cracked something in her, released a flood of heat, happiness…and potent desire.Oh, this man. Had anyone ever looked at her the way he did? She knew they hadn’t. If she could trust anything about him, it was his feelings for her. They’d never wavered.
But really, what good could come from all this longing? She was here for one reason, and that was to get the girls settled with a family.
There’s not going to be some grand romance with Cole Montgomery.
She took a step back, surprised at the rush of cold air when he lowered his arms. “Let’s check on them.”
But he didn’t let her get away that easily. “They’re doing exactly what we brought them here to do. They’re happy. I promise, if they need us, we’ll know.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “You all right?”
Oh, she really liked that about him. After a lifetime of pushing people away, she liked a man who didn’t give up on her.
But before she could answer, Paisley pulled a freezer bag out of the bushes. “I found one.”
“Yay,” Hailey said. “Can I see?”
“Wait.” Paisley ran to the mailbox, her sister hurrying to keep up. “I have one more place to look.”
Watching them, a fierce sense of purpose took hold. “You know, I look at these girls—Lindsay’s babies, her daughters, the most important people in the world to her—and the fact that she chosemeto raise them... I mean, it’s…it’s anhonor.” Only now that she’d had some time to get her bearings was it starting to sink in. The importance of this…well,gift. “I don’t know that I’m the right person to do it, but I do know without a doubt, if she had anyone else, the girls would be with them right now.” She was getting all worked up. “I want to do the right thing. It’s just—”
“Hey.” He pulled her closer. “Remember, we’re going to take this one step at a time. Right now, our only focus is giving them a knock-out Christmas.”
“Right. One day at a time.”
The girls ran up to them. “We only found this one.” Paisley held it up. “Can we open it now, please?”
She didn’t see why not. “Sure. Let’s do it inside, though. It’s freezing out there.”
“No, I want to open it now. Please?”
Neither girl seemed bothered by the bitter cold, so Hailey pulled the black lacquer box out of the freezer bag and handed it to her. Paisley opened it to find two candy canes, some icicle ornaments, and two little snow globes.
The six-year-old shook hers. She watched in awe as the glittery snow fell over the cabin in the woods. “It’s so pretty.” Handing the other one to her sister, she said, “Look, Evvie. You got one, too.”
But Evvie didn’t seem to care. “Go see Mommy.” She turned and marched across the lawn, her booted feet leaving shallow impressions in the snow.