The Cowgirl's Forever Family

He sighed. “Like I said, they are kind people, but when I was thirteen they took up residence at a shared living community. It wasn’t a life that I wanted for myself.”

Brooke’s eyes widened. “Like a commune?”

He nodded. “I wanted to go to college. They didn’t agree with that decision.”

She grabbed a couple of mugs and put them on the counter. “So you ran away and got a lawyer.”

“I ran away and ended up in social services.”

It sounded like a nightmare and made Brooke even more grateful for her happy childhood. “And that’s where you met Yelena’s grandfather?”

“Correct.”

She glanced at him. “Do you still see your parents?”

“Not much.”

“They must miss you, though... I mean, if you’re their only child. Family and blood ties are important and—”

“I was adopted,” he said, silencing her immediately.

Brooke stared at him, thinking of his complicated upbringing, and feeling an acute kind of sadness deep down. “Thank you for telling me. How old are you?”

“Thirty-four.”

“Any vices I should know about?”

He grinned just a little, showing off his dimple. “Not one.”

The air between them thickened. There was a kind of seductive energy surrounding him that was impossible to ignore.

“No one is that perfect,” Brooke said, feeling heat smack her cheeks. “Take me for instance. I like sweet white coffee, cold toast and I love sleeping in on Sunday mornings.”

He propped Cara on his hip and looked at Brooke so intently that her knees weakened. Suddenly having him living in her house didn’t seem like such a great idea.

Because there was something in the air between them.

Something she hadn’t experienced for a long time, felt for a long time.

Awareness. Attraction. Chemistry. Heat.

Call it by a dozen different names...but it was really only one thing.

Sex...

And it was everywhere. In the air, crawling over her skin, pumping through her blood.

“I like unsweetened black coffee,” he said smoothly, not missing a beat, not dragging his gaze from hers. “I like warm toast. And I only ever stay in bed on a Sunday morning if I have a woman in that bed with me.”

Chapter Four (#ulink_913f4015-3c02-5401-bd73-c2aa77b0b090)

Tyler knew he had to stop doing anything that looked or sounded like flirting with Brooke. It was foolish. But there was a kind of relentless energy between them that couldn’t be denied. And their complicated situation aside, he liked being around her. She was attractive and intelligent and she made him smile.

Smile?

Since when had that been important?

“Well,” he heard her say and endeavored to get his mind back on track. “I don’t imagine you’d have too much trouble filling that order.”

His interest increased. She was being provocative and probably didn’t even know it. “Is there anything else you’ve been imagining?”

Her cheeks flushed with color and Tyler bit back a grin. She might be fiery, but underneath that bravado was a woman who embarrassed easily.

“Not a thing,” she said quickly and moved around the counter. “So...coffee? Soda?” She opened the refrigerator. “I have beer if you would prefer—”

“Coffee is fine,” he said, cutting her off.

She closed the refrigerator and smiled tightly. “Right...one unsweetened coffee on its way.”

Tyler watched, absorbed by the easy way she moved around the kitchen. There was something effortlessly natural about her. Most of the women he knew...all of the women he knew, were either focused on their career, their appearance, catching a Wall Street husband or all three. But not Brooke Laughton. She was hometown pretty, and her clean skin and long blond hair were getting harder to ignore the more time he spent with her.

She came around the counter a minute later with two mugs and placed them on the table.

“Can I hold her again?” she asked and held out her hands a little.

Tyler nodded, moving forward to pass the baby into Brooke’s arms. He caught her scent and his back straightened automatically. Not perfume, but something else, like air and water and fresh baled hay mixed with something as sweet as jasmine. And it was intoxicating. She settled Cara onto her hip and then looked up and smiled at him, and Tyler was instantly drawn into her gaze. Her smile was suddenly mesmerizing, holding his stare. The temperature in the room seemed to hike up several notches, even though he was sure it was just the heat creeping over his skin.

“Everything okay?” she asked as she sat down.

Tyler shrugged and sat opposite her. “Sure.”

“I’ll make her dinner. Does she have any food allergies?”

“No,” he replied and grinned. “She’s very open to eating pretty much anything and everything you put in front of her.”

Brooke laughed and the sound reverberated in his chest. “She’s clearly a Laughton. My mom used to say that Matt had hollow legs when he was a kid.”

The mention of her brother’s name quickly changed the temperature in the room. Tyler certainly didn’t want to be at odds with her over her brother...but if the other man didn’t show up soon there would be hard decisions to make. Decisions he knew Brooke wouldn’t take easily. He looked at her, saw that she was frowning and said what was on his mind.

“Brooke, you know he needs to prove he can take care of Cara.”

She nodded and stroked the baby’s head. “I know that.”

“But first he has to actually get here and connect with her. Otherwise...”

“Otherwise,” she said when his words trailed off. “You’ll hightail it back to New York and see that she’s adopted, right?”

“Right,” he replied, conscious of an uneasy tension snaking up his spine. “That’s my job.”