Instant Family (17 page)

"Thanks." Alex removed his cycling helmet and hung it on the
handlebars. Chloe had no idea he was here. How would she react? The thought of her possible displeasure made him ridiculously nervous. He wheeled his bike to a position a few meters behind and to
the side of the scorers and sat on the grass to watch the game. He'd
come to watch Seb. He'd promised. It was a public oval.

A boy resembling Seb was fielding in slips. The batsman whacked
a ball to the boundary, and the small crowd of spectators clapped. His
teammates roared their approval. Chloe said clearly, "Nice shot."

The over finished, and the boy Alex thought was Seb took the ball.
He gave the umpire his hat, measured out his run-up, and whirled his
bowling arm several times to loosen up. Definitely Seb. Alex realized
he was leaning forward, clasping his hands tightly together in anticipation. He relaxed his grip. The other boy was on strike now. He
hadn't had much of a go since Alex arrived; the first boy was the danger for Seb's team.

Seb ran in to deliver his first ball. Wide. The umpire's arm went
out. Alex frowned. Chloe groaned audibly, and her companion said
something. She laughed. The second ball was a beauty, cutting back
in and completely bamboozling the batsman. Pure luck he wasn't
clean bowled.

"Do that again," Alex murmured, staring hard at Seb as he walked
back to his mark. The kid had a terrific style. A natural. This time the
ball was straighter, but the batsman slashed wildly, only succeeding
in looping an easy catch for the wicket keeper. Seb's team cheered.

"Well done, Seb!" shouted Alex, clapping vigorously. Chloe spun
around in her seat, spilling her clipboard to the grass and nearly upending her folding chair.

"Hello." Alex grinned at her astounded face. "Great ball, wasn't
it?"

She nodded and scrambled to collect her score pad. Seb squinted
across toward them, shading his eyes with one hand. He waved suddenly. Alex lifted his hand in return. Seb's teeth flashed in a wide
smile, and then he turned to study the new batsman, tossing the ball
casually from hand to hand. Could he remove this one too? The way
he'd delivered that second ball, he most likely could.

But the batsman doggedly blocked the rest of Seb's over. As the
fielding side changed ends for the new bowler, Alex walked to Chloe's
side and squatted down.

"How are they doing?" The cheek he could see turned rose pink under the wide brim of the straw hat. She studied the score sheet on
her lap.

"Grammar has sixty-three off twenty-two overs. Six wickets down."

"Not bad," said her companion, a round-faced fellow with an
English accent. "Who's bowling now?"

"Peter Hammond. Sorry," Chloe said to Alex. "We have to concentrate."

"Okay. I'll see you after"

"Thanks for coming. Seb was hoping you'd remember" Chloe
flashed him a smile. He'd never thought to see one of those sent his
way again. Ridiculous how that imagined loss had pained him all
week. Even more ridiculous how the small show of warmth lightened his heart.

"I said I would."

"I know but ... you know." The smile faded.

"Dot ball," said her companion.

She turned away, eyes focused intently on the action in the middle.
The sun hat obscured her face.

Alex walked back to where he'd propped his bike and sat down,
arms resting on bent knees. She'd thought he wouldn't keep his
promise. She didn't have much of an opinion of him. Or his daughter.

He needed to explain to her about Steffie, how difficult it was and
how Lucy sometimes threatened to minimize his involvement with
her even to the point of changing her name, something he'd never
agree to. She was his daughter, not Derek Dwyer's. He met his financial obligation with meticulous precision. Lucy had no cause for
complaint there. Admittedly he didn't spend as much time with Steffie
as any of them would like, but it was difficult. He tried, but he was
busy. He couldn't possibly have her live with him, but Chloe must
see how he loved his little girl despite her failings.

He wanted Chloe to know, wanted her to understand. If she didn't,
the misunderstanding would gape like a chasm between them. He
stared at her white-clad back. The sun hat obscured her lovely hair,
but her bare legs were visible-a smooth, elegant line of calf, neat
ankle, sandals revealing feet with pink polish on the toes. She was
perfect. Falling for her was a torture of denial. Every now and again
she turned her head toward the Englishman, and Alex caught a glimpse
of cheek and mouth, smiling. Lovely. Kissable.

Seb didn't bowl again. When the innings finished, he jogged
across to Alex and threw himself down onto the grass beside him.

"Hi."

"G'day, mate. Great wicket. You nearly had him with the ball before too"

"I took another wicket earlier, but you missed it. Clean bowled."

"Excellent! Sorry, had some things to do at home."

"That's all right. Glad you came. Thanks." Seb grinned with
unashamed delight.

Thank goodness he'd looked at his watch when he did this morning. Such a simple way of pleasing the boy.

Chloe heard them chatting behind her but couldn't quite catch the
words. Seb sounded excited about something. She toted up the bowling figures for Seb's team and compared them with Hugo's from the
opposition, on scoring duty with her. Hugo headed toward a group of
parents equipped with Thermos flasks and cookies.

Chloe pulled a banana and her water from the bag at her feet.
Seb's drink was in there still. She glanced across to the pair sprawled
on the grass and nattering like crazy. A gust of wind threatened to
whip her hat away. The sun went behind a cloud. Piles of dark, stormy
bundles had built up without her noticing. She stuffed her hat into the
bag.

"Seb." She held up his drink. He scrambled to his feet and beckoned her over.

Alex straightened up as she approached, smiling. "Hello."

"Hi. You finished with two wickets for eleven runs, Seb."

Alex nodded his approval. "Well done!"

"What did they get?"

"Eighty-nine."

"Hopeless! We should beat that."

"If it doesn't rain." Chloe indicated the buildup of storm clouds.
A low grumble rolled around the distant Brindabella Mountains.

Alex stood up and brushed wisps of grass from his jeans. "I'd better head home. Don't want to get caught."

"Can't you stay for a couple of overs? I don't go in till number six."

"Seb, Alex wants to leave." Chloe frowned a warning.

"We can give him a ride home if it rains. His bike will fit in the
boot."

"Seb." Chloe sighed. She looked to Alex for help, but he seemed
to be wavering. She shrugged. "Whatever. You're a big boy."

Alex laughed. "Okay, mate. I reckon we'll all get wet if that breaks.
Wish it would-we sure need it."

"We're on again," said Chloe. Hugo had returned to his chair. "My
brain can't take too much of this level of concentration. Math isn't
my strong point." She grinned.

"Just make it up," said Alex. "They won't know."

"Hey!" Seb threw a pretend punch at Alex's shoulder, and they
proceeded to shadowbox, laughing and jostling.

Chloe turned away. She'd been wrong, Simone right. There were
things Alex could offer Seb-male things. The boys needed that
contact. Instinctively they both gravitated toward Alex. And he obviously enjoyed their company.

Chloe picked up her scoring papers and clipboard. The two
parents doing umpire duty walked onto the field, followed by the
players.

Maybe Alex needed the boys as much as they needed him.
Maybe he was lonely in that house all by himself, separated from
his daughter-pain though she was. Maybe he missed having a
family. She'd never considered that aspect.

"Hey, Chloe. Concentrate." Hugo's jovial voice cut through the
haze.

Twenty minutes later the warm, frolicking wind became a serious
gale-force blast. The gathering clouds combined into a solid wall of
bruised gray, the light dimmed dramatically, and the temperature
plummeted. Several large raindrops landed on Chloe's score sheet,
smudging her neat figures.

"Time to leave, methinks," announced Hugo. "Don't want to be
struck by lightning."

Chloe jumped to her feet.

Players and spectators bolted for cover as thunder crashed overhead. There was no pavilion for shelter. Cars or trees were the only
option. Chloe thrust the score sheets at the coach, who was standing
nearby yelling instructions to his scattering team to collect the stumps
and ball. She grabbed the folding chair and her bag and sprinted for
the Holden parked fifty meters away. Seb, lugging his kit bag, and
Alex, wheeling his bike, followed, laughing like idiots.

Chloe tossed her gear onto the backseat and flung herself into the
front. Let them manhandle the bike into the boot. Water dripped down
her face from her sodden hair. She was absolutely soaked through, and
talk about wet T-shirt contests! The waterlogged fabric had become
virtually transparent.

Chloe pulled the clinging garment away from her body and attempted to wring out some of the excess water. As soon as she let it
go, the fabric molded itself firmly around her again. Thumps and
scraping noises came from the back of the car. They'd never get that
bike in properly.

The passenger door opened, and Alex jumped in beside her, bringing a cool, wet gust of wind. The nearness of him, so large, so male,
so attractive ... Chloe gulped and swallowed. She concentrated on
guiding the key into the ignition with a clammy hand.

Seb slammed the back door. "Drive slowly."

"Did you fit it in?"

"Not really." Alex grinned. He dragged a hand through his hair.
Drops of water ran down his arm and dripped onto his jeans, the
denim plastered firmly around his thigh, inches from her own knee.
"But we don't have far to go."

"Our place is closest," said Seb. "Alex can come with us and ride
home later."

Right. Chloe dragged her fascinated gaze away from damp, shiny
skin and the way Alex's shirt as well as his jeans displayed the contours of a body her fingers itched to touch. She reversed carefully out
of the parking spot. Rain thundered harder on the roof, drowning out
conversation. The road ahead had disappeared, obscured by the gray
sheets plummeting to earth. Plus the windshield had begun to mist up.

"I can't see a thing."

Alex wiped a hand across the glass to clear her vision. "Put the air
conditioner on."

"It doesn't work," Seb said from the backseat. "We've got manual
air-conditioning-as in, open the windows."

Alex snorted with laughter. He wiped the windshield again, leaning across so his shoulder brushed Chloe's. She gripped the steering
wheel tightly to stop herself from running her left hand over his extended arm. Something had happened to all the air in the car-she
could barely suck in a breath.

Chloe crawled to the main intersection, judging distance by the
red dots of light from the rear of the car in front of her. Another turn,
follow the curve of the street, splash through a newly formed lake on
the corner, and they were home. She drove straight into the open
garage, and the roar on the roof ceased abruptly. Seb flung the door
open and jumped out to retrieve Alex's bike.

"Goodness." Chloe sat momentarily stunned, sucking in huge
lungfuls of air. "What a cloudburst."

"Hope it keeps raining. A few days' worth would be good" Alex
didn't move to get out. Instead, he touched gentle fingers to her
cheek, smoothing away wet hair. "You're soaked."

"I know." The T-shirt! How could he not notice, with her chest
heaving like a bellows? She glanced at him to ascertain where his
eyes were directed.

Right at her. Right into her eyes. His eyes were dark and intense.
And he'd moved nearer. The fingers slipped farther around her
neck. Chloe held her breath against the warmth and mind-blowing
intimacy of his touch. So firm, so wonderful. In the next moment he
pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers. Gently. Then
again. More firmly. Fire leaped in her belly. Her mouth opened, and
a small sigh escaped. The boot slammed shut.

Chloe bounced away. Alex sat back with an inscrutable, sphinxlike
expression, half smiling, half considering. Her face was so hot, her
hair would be dry in no time. Steaming. She groped for the door
handle and almost fell out when the door sprang open. Inside. She
had to get inside, fast. What a reaction! What a kiss!

She wanted more.

Behind her the car door slammed. Alex and Seb began discussing
the abandoned game. Chloe wrenched open the connecting door to
the house, shivering despite her overheated skin and racing pulse.
She headed straight for her bedroom, passing a startled Katy and
Julian in the kitchen with a brief hello thrown their way.

"Gosh, you're wet," floated down the hall after her.

"Yes, I'm soaked."

Just before she closed her door, Seb's voice in the kitchen said,
"You can wear some of my clothes, Alex."

Chloe stopped in the center of her room, breath coming hard and
fast. Alex had slipped into the family circle as easily as could be. Wearing Seb's clothes, including Julian in the building thing, kissing her. Right now he was probably charming Katy. And the worst
thing about it was, he fit perfectly. Could it be that Alex wouldn't
mind a girlfriend with massive responsibilities? Did she dare hope?
Did that kiss mean something?

She yanked her wet shorts off. He certainly knew what he
was getting into. She went to the bathroom, dumped the wet garments into the hamper, and grabbed her towel. Why else would he
kiss her that way? He was attracted to her the same way she was
to him.

Clean, dry, long-sleeved T-shirt. Jeans. Chloe stared at herself in
the mirror as she wielded the hairdryer. What on earth could Alex
Bergman possibly see in Chloe Gardiner? Don't get carried away.
Maybe Alex Bergman is a flirt with a roving eye.