Looking at the mess in the kitchen, he knew his father would have a fit if he ever saw it. But he wasn’t his father and his daughters seemed to be having the time of their lives. They’d never remember their mother, but he could give them happy memories of their childhood.
Arden was wise beyond her years, he thought as he began to relax and enjoy the afternoon with Avery and Hailey. Making happy memories was important.
Eugenia began washing the bowls.
“I can do that, Aunt Eugenia,” Arden protested, coming to stand beside her at the sink.
“I like the warmth of the water on my hands, child. Remember, Love is the cook, I always cleaned up. But you can help. Find a drying cloth.”
Arden was grateful for the task that took her away from the center island and gave her some space. Drying the bowls, she stacked them on the clean counter beside the sink. Who would have suspected they could use so many for just a few batches of cookies?
Eugenia added still another bowl to the soapy water, glancing around the kitchen for more. She smiled.
“Brendan is as dusty as his daughters,” she murmured.
She glanced at Arden. “He’s a fine young man.”
Arden nodded. She knew to her aunt’s eighty-some years, Brendan must seem young. But he was eight years older than she was and he had a wealth of experiences she didn’t.
“He seems to relate well with his daughters,” Eugenia continued.
“When I first arrived, they seemed very formal,” Arden said slowly.
“Of course, such a virile man needs some sons, too. I can’t see him playing football with those dainty little girls. Or taking them to ball games.”
Arden took a deep breath, trying to stave off the hurt. She knew her aunt would be shocked to learn how her words hurt. She was just sharing an observation. But to Arden, it again reminded her of why there could be nothing between Brendan and her.
If he ever married again, he’d want a woman who could give him healthy sons. Boys to play with, to roughhouse with, to teach manly things. And boys to perpetuate the family name.
“Does he come from a large family?” Eugenia asked.
“He has a sister. He’s never mentioned any other siblings.”
“That’s right, Ella, isn’t it? The one who used to watch the girls before you?”
Arden nodded. That was what she had been hired for to watch the girls. The job gave her the opportunity to pursue her education at the same time she worked. She refused to jeopardize it by falling for her boss.
It was late afternoon by the time the last batch of cookies finished baking. The girls had long since gone down for a much-needed nap. With the kitchen back in order, and the delicious aroma of cookies filling the house, Arden felt more in control.
She sought Brendan, finding him in the den, working on his computer.
“Can you keep an ear out for the girls? I think they’ll sleep a little longer, but if they wake up, make sure they don’t get into mischief.”
“Where are you going?” He looked up from the computer.
“To take my aunts back. I’ll be home in time to cook dinner.”
“Aren’t they staying for the celebration? The more the merrier, isn’t that how it goes?”
“I hadn’t planned on them staying. I don’t have enough steak.”
“Then zip out and get some more. I’ll entertain them until you return.”
Quickly saving his work, he rose.
“Are you sure?”
It was one thing to have her relatives over to bake cookies with the children, something else again to all sit down to dinner together.
“I’m sure. If your family has had these celebration events before, we’ll need their input to make sure this one goes perfectly.”
Arden laughed softly. “Brendan, it’s just a dinner with a few extras to make it special. I think the girls and I could manage that much on our own.”
“Ah, but there’s nothing like experience. Go buy some more food, Arden.”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a mock salute.
Dinner proved to be festive and entertaining. Arden dressed the girls up in their best outfits and then donned one of her own she usually saved for Sundays. The aunts grumbled about their clothes, but their summer dresses looked fine, once the flour had been sponged off.
Brendan dutifully followed suit, donning a sports coat, but foregoing the tie. If he was the celebrant, he told Arden, he got some perks.
The girls had each drawn a picture of their daddy, the hero. Arden had also sketched a drawing of Brendan a phone in one hand and a sword in the other. His eyes gleamed when he looked at her after receiving the picture. She knew he, too, remembered their phone conversations.
Eugenia and Love contributed stories of previous celebration dinners, recounting events in their lives and Arden’s that kept everyone enthralled.
After telling about Arden’s honors in high school, Eugenia turned to her. “Isn’t that right, Arden?”
But Arden had missed the story. She was picturing another sketch, one with Brendan and his daughters. This time she could envision him surrounded by clouds of flour and dirty bowls piled higher than his head. The enchantment in Hailey’s and Avery’s eyes would balance the scene. She ought to use dark clothes to emphasize the contrasting white of the flour.
“She gets like that,” Eugenia said indulgently.
“Spaces out?“ Brendan asked, studying Arden.
She was looking at Hailey, but he didn’t think she was seeing her.
“Whenever she’s thinking of a painting,” Love explained. “I’ve missed that.”
Eugenia nodded. “Happens at the oddest times. She’ll get a notion and want to paint it, so goes into almost a trance as she decides how she will do it. Right, Arden?” She ended in a louder tone.
“What?” Arden looked at her aunt.
“I was telling Brendan that you go into a trance if you are planning a picture.”
“Oh.” She glanced at him almost guiltily. “Sometimes.”
“And does he know you often stay up all night working on a painting?” Love asked teasingly.
Arden shook her head.
“I won’t while here. I know I have to be up early to deal with the girls. You don’t have to worry about me neglecting my duty,” she told Brendan.
“Were you thinking of a painting just now?”
She nodded. “One of Hailey and Avery.” And you, but that part she’d keep to herself. Her fingers itched to get to her sketch pad.
It was late by the time the aunts had been driven home, the girls put to bed and Arden escaped to her room. She thought she heard Brendan call her, but ignored it if indeed he had. She needed time and distance.
And the soothing familiarity of her sketching. Her charcoal pencil flew across the page. Sketch after sketch poured from her. Brendan on the phone in some phantom city in Latin America. Brendan cutting cookies with Avery. Brendan laughing at something Aunt Love had said. Brendan seriously attending the steaks on the grill.
Tired, Arden lay back, flexing her fingers. Glancing at the clock, she was shocked to see it was after three.
Scrambling to gather all the sketches, she put them in a large portfolio and tied it tight. The work was good, but she would have done better to have gone straight to sleep. It’d be morning before long.
Still keyed up, she tried to relax. Turning off the light, she stared into the darkness. Even in the black of night, she could see Brendan’s face, remember their kiss, feel the craving for another.
Turning on her side, she tried to ignore the clamoring of her heart as she drifted off to sleep.
Arden awoke Sunday morning aware it was the first day since she’d moved to the Ferguson place she was not responsible for the girls. Delighting in the knowledge, and the unexpected sense of freedom, she planned all she’d do on her day off.
First, she’d treat herself to breakfast at the restaurant near her aunts’ retirement home that offered dining on the terrace overlooking the water. She’d buy the Sunday paper and take her time reading, eating and enjoying quiet time alone.
Then she’d pick up her aunts and drive them to church in their former neighborhood. They’d all like to see old friends. Maybe they could stop for lunch at the cafeteria near the university. She’d call Patti after taking her aunts back to their home to see if she wanted to go to a movie.
With the entire day ahead of her, Arden took her time getting dressed. Before she was ready, she heard her charges thundering down the stairs. Smiling, she wondered again how two such dainty little girls could sometimes make such a racket.
In deference to the warm weather, she wore a cheerful primrose yellow sun dress. White sandals showed off the pale pink polish on her toes. She pulled back her hair to allow her neck to stay cool. She'd stop by the kitchen on her way out, to let Brendan know she was leaving and to tell the girls goodbye.
When she walked in, Avery and Hailey were seated at the kitchen table eating cereal. Brendan stood by the counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Her breath caught for a moment when she first saw him. He wore shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. The muscles of his obviously fit body were clearly displayed again. Sleek and masculine, he embodied all she’d ever imagined in the perfect male physique.
Once more, her fingers itched to sketch him in some pagan pose, displaying all the masculine beauty of his form. But a slow curl of heat deep within also had her imagining more than just sketching him.
She’d like to run her fingertips over every inch of him. Touch him, caress him, taste him. Explore the difference between his body and hers. Venture into a new realm of physical sensation as she discovered what it’d be like to give in to the awareness that built every moment they were together.
Taking a deep breath, she smiled, hoping it looked somewhat friendly and non-revealing.
He heard her intake and looked up. His eyes darkened slightly as he narrowed them, letting his gaze move from her face down her body. Arden felt as if he’d touched her, heat spiraling through her in the direct path of his gaze.
“I’m off now,” she said as the seconds ticked by.
He nodded.
“Where are you going?” Hailey asked.
“It’s Arden’s day off. She’s going out and where is not our business,” Brendan said, turning to his daughter. “You and Avery finish eating breakfast.”
“I want to go.”
“You can’t. Arden gets some time to herself.”
“You’ll be all right?” Arden asked, suddenly hesitant to leave.
He nodded, his gaze meeting hers.
“I can be back in time to make dinner,” she offered.
“No need. We’re going to some friends’ place today. They are having a barbecue. We may not be home until after dark. I appreciate your willingness to help us out on your day off. Very commendable.”
She shrugged. It wasn’t just a sense of responsibility. She wondered how he’d manage cooking for the three of them. Now she didn’t have to worry. He was their father, granted, but he seemed at a loss sometimes with how to handle the girls. But his plans showed he didn’t need her today at all.
“Unless I get an unexpected call in the middle of the night again, you’re on your own until tomorrow morning,” he said, leaning against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest.
Arden nodded, not taking her eyes off him. He looked solid and substantial, leaning there with quiet male assurance.
She had to get going, or she might ask to stay to spend her day off with him. And his daughters, of course.
Brendan watched her kiss the girls goodbye and leave. He remained leaning against the counter as if he didn’t have a care in the world, appalled at the sensations that were churning through him. He wanted to kiss her again. Sweep her into his arms and lock his lips with hers until the world went away, leaving them in a cocoon of their own.
She looked beautiful, tall and slim and sexy as anything he’d ever seen. The dress floated and swayed as she walked, faithfully outlining her delectable figure and those long legs.
He listened to her car start, then fade as she drove away. Where was she going? With whom would she spend the day? He wanted to know. Not that he could come up with any legitimate reason to satisfy his curiosity. It was none of his business, just as he’d told Hailey. Maybe he should have let his daughter persist.
Not that knowing that would dampen the desire to touch her, be with her. Listen to her conversation, delight in the way she viewed the world.
He rubbed the back of his neck, pushing away from the counter. There were a dozen things to see to and two little girls to watch. He had no time to be fantasizing about Arden Glover.
Easier said than done.
Brendan suspected it’d prove to be a long day.
It was after ten that night when Brendan and the girls returned home. His friends had young children as well, and the kids ran around and had a great time.
Paul wanted to know all the details about the recent mission, and Brendan waited until they could be alone after dinner to discuss what he could.
Since it had been late when they left, both girls had immediately fallen asleep in the car.
Turning into the driveway, he was pleased to note the lights on in the house. And to see the old station wagon in its place in the driveway. Arden was home.
When he stopped the car, she came out of the side door.
“You said after dark, but I was starting to wonder if you were coming back tonight,” she said.
She’d changed to shorts and wore a skimpy top. He couldn’t tell the color in the evening darkness, but he could see enough of her outlined by lights behind her to know it was formfitting. Swallowing hard, he climbed from the car.
“We left later than I planned. Both girls are asleep. I’ll carry them up, but no bath tonight.”
“I’ll take Avery, and you can carry Hailey,” she said, going to the back door of the sedan.
Brendan nodded. It was a sensible plan. But for a moment he remembered another time, another house, another woman. They’d returned home from visiting their friends when Hailey had been a baby. She’d been asleep and Lannie had reached in to carry her up to bed.
Arden looked nothing like Lannie, yet the scene was one of family. Parents carrying their children into their home. Closing the door to the world and keeping their family safe in their own haven.
He scowled as he climbed the stairs. Where in the world were such fanciful thoughts coming from? He wasn’t some poet. And he certainly wasn’t planning on another wife.
Arden was hired to watch his children, and that was all. When they were older, other arrangements could be made.
And three was a family. He’d make sure it was the best family the girls could ever have.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly when she tucked up Avery after removing her sandals and dusting off her feet.
“Did they have fun?” she asked, touching Avery lightly, as if reluctant to leave her.
“April had a wading pool for the kids. They have two around the same age. They played in it all afternoon.”
“I bet they loved that. We’ve played in the hose a couple of afternoons. I thought I’d take them to the beach sometime. Hailey says she can swim.”
“Ella taught her last year. Avery was too little.”
“I expect she’ll catch up soon. She loves to do what her older sister does.”
“There’s time enough.”
Brendan looked at his daughters. They were so small, so precious.
“And did you have fun today?” Arden asked.
He looked up and into her pretty blue eyes. For a moment Brendan forgot about his visit, forgot he was in his daughters’ room. All he could think of was how pretty Arden looked and how much he wanted her.
Slamming the brakes on those longings, he looked away and nodded once.
“It’s late. I don’t want to keep you up. Thanks for carrying Avery,” he said.
“No problem. Goodnight,” she said, slipping quickly from the room.
Had that been disappointment in her tone? Hurt?
“I don’t need this attraction,” he muttered as he followed, switching off the light.
Tomorrow, things would get back on an even keel. He’d be in the familiar routine of work. The girls and Arden would be back in their normal habits and this aberration would fade.
At least, he hoped so.