Her Soldier Of Fortune. Michelle Major
when she laid awake in the wee hours of the night, the only thing she wished was not to be so alone.
It was as if the universe had heard her silent plea and answered her need with Nathan Fortune. He stood in front of her, strong and sure, exactly the opposite of how Bianca felt. He was muscled and clearly in shape, his shoulders broad beneath the fabric of the chambray shirt he wore. His skin was tanned from the sun, despite the wide brim of his hat, and she could see a faint patchwork of lines fanning out from his light brown eyes when he smiled.
He was a few inches taller than Eddie had been but not so much that he towered over her. In fact, it looked as though she’d fit perfectly tucked underneath his shoulder. She locked her knees to keep from stepping into him, wrapping her arms around his lean waist and burying her face in his shirtfront.
“Now that you mention it,” she said with an awkward little laugh, “I was hoping I might stay with you for a few days.” She swallowed and added, “A week or two at the longest.” She glanced to either side of the farmhouse’s wraparound porch, as though the house itself might offer up an answer.
The ranch was just as Eddie had described it, with huge fields and rolling hills in the distance. The house was a charming, if modest, two-story stone structure with picture windows and faded trim that gave it a settled-in, well-loved look. “If you have room and it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
“Are you in trouble?”
His gaze was unreadable as he studied her.
Yes, she was in big trouble because she’d sought out Nate in place of her brother, but her reaction to him was both unexpected and dangerous, as it threatened to overwhelm her at a time when she was already holding on to her composure by a thin thread.
“No,” she answered immediately, which she figured they both knew was a lie. “I just need a break from my life—a fresh start. Eddie thought of you as family, so I came to, as well. Even though you’re practically a stranger. He talked a lot about coming to visit Paseo between deployments. He really enjoyed his time on the ranch. So I thought—”
She sucked in a breath when Nate reached out and placed his fingertip against her lips. “You can stay here as long as you want, Bianca. Eddie was my family in every way that counts. In some weird way, that makes you my little sister.”
Bianca opened her mouth to argue. There were a hundred things she wanted from Nate, but for him to think of her as his little sister darn sure wasn’t one of them. But she needed a place to stay more than she cared to admit, so she simply leaned forward and gave him a small hug, the way she’d done with Eddie all the time. It was a test, she told herself, to see if she could ignore the way he made butterflies dance across her stomach. To see if she could pretend she didn’t notice his rock-hard abs when her fingers brushed his shirtfront or how good he smelled—like soap and the outdoors.
She managed it pretty well and didn’t even let the soft whimper that bubbled up in her throat escape into the charged air between them.
Instead she gave him one last pat on the back and stepped away, surprised to find him staring down at her like she’d just grabbed his butt.
“I’m alone here,” he blurted. “At the ranch.”
“Okay,” she answered with a shrug.
“My brother Grayson is touring with the rodeo and Mom manages his career, so she’s with him. Jayden and his wife won’t be back until next week.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Whenever Eddie was here, we had a full house.”
She nodded. “I think he was jealous that you were a triplet. He always wanted a brother or two. I look forward to meeting your family.”
“You might not be comfortable being out here with only me,” he suggested. “It’s a haul to town and Paseo is a postage stamp compared to San Antonio.”
“San Antonio is too crowded these days,” she countered, wondering why Nate suddenly looked so uncomfortable. He hadn’t shown a moment’s hesitation in offering her a place to stay, but now he seemed to be almost warning her away.
“I’m not great company,” he continued, glancing over his shoulder into the entry as if he might find a reason for her to venture inside the cozy farmhouse. “I make terrible coffee.”
“I can make my own coffee.”
“I’m grumpy in the morning. You might not like me when I’m grumpy.”
“As long as you don’t turn green and bust out of your clothes, I think I’ll manage.”
“I can be mean as a grizzly coming out of hibernation.”
“If you’ve changed your mind,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest to mimic his stance, “just tell me, Nate. Otherwise, you’re not going to scare me away. Remember, I grew up with a navy SEAL. Talk all you want about grizzlies, but I know you guys are big teddy bears at heart.”
“A teddy bear?” He shook his head, looking as offended as her late granny had when Bianca’s mom cursed in the middle of the Christmas church service. “I’m not a teddy bear and neither was your brother. In fact—”
“Want to see my teddy bear?” a voice called from Bianca’s car. The back door opened and a pair of scuffed sneakers hit the dust, the heels lighting up as they did. “His name is Roscoe, and he’s my best friend.”
“EJ,” Bianca called as the boy ran forward, swinging a battered stuffed animal above his head. “I told you to wait—”
“You talked too long, Mommy. Roscoe got bored. He wants to see everything.” Her beautiful, energetic, precocious four-year-old son climbed the front porch steps, and she automatically held out a hand. As was typical, EJ ignored it.
“Are you Uncle Eddie’s friend?” he asked Nate, who had taken a step back, staring at her boy like EJ was a snake in the grass. Or maybe it was shock over EJ’s resemblance to Eddie, with his dark hair, olive-colored skin and deep brown eyes that always seemed to be full of mischief. Mischief and EJ were bosom pals. “Are you a cowboy? Are we staying with you? Can I have a glass of water?”
EJ didn’t wait for an answer to any of his questions. He ducked away from Bianca when she reached for him and barreled past Nate, disappearing into the house.
Bianca started to follow but Nate filled the doorway, blocking her way. “Is there something—or someone—you forgot to mention?”
She flashed what she hoped was an innocent smile and managed to only cringe a little when there was a crash from inside the house. “That’s my son, EJ,” she said quickly. “And we’d better go after him unless all the other breakables in your house are nailed down.”
“I’m sorry, Mommy. It was an accident.” EJ clutched the raggedy teddy bear tight to his chest. “Roscoe bumped the lamp when I was looking at the game. He didn’t mean it.”
“You owe Mr. Nate an apology,” Bianca scolded gently. “This is his home and we’re guests here.” She glanced up at Nate from below her impossibly long lashes. “At least I think we’re staying for a bit. But after this—”
“Of course you’re staying,” Nate told her. “Accidents happen, and I never liked that lamp, anyway.”
Bianca offered the hint of a grateful smile. She ruffled her son’s dark hair. “EJ.”
In that way that mothers of boys had, Bianca seemed to be able to communicate an entire sentence simply by speaking her son’s name.
“I’m sorry about your ugly lamp,” EJ said solemnly. “Roscoe is sorry, too.”
“How old are you, EJ?” Nate asked.
The boy held up four dirt-smudged fingers. “Four.”