Matters of the Heart (5 page)

Brad came
back in with large flakes of snow dusted across his forehead and the top of his
hair. She couldn’t help but stand on tiptoe and brush it off with her fingers.
They looked at one another, each of them not saying a word until finally he
spoke.

“What do you
think about pizza?”

“I think
that’s a great choice, if you mean do I want to eat it.”

“Pizza Joe’s
it is.”

He put his
hand in the small of her back again. She’d almost melted like she had the first
time he’d done that. And this time it sent tingles throughout her whole body.

Yeah, she’d
have to watch herself or be unemployed again.

****

He’d picked
the right candidate to be nanny to his little girl. He stood at the counter
waiting for their pizza and looked back at the table where she sat with
Presley. She was making faces and dancing the new toy duck back and forth in
front of Presley’s face, making her giggle so hard he could hear her even from
this distance.

“Sheriff
Ryan, here’s your pepperoni pizza,” said the boy behind the counter.

“Thanks a
lot.”

He took the
tray thinking how he and Lucy had both picked pepperoni saying it was their
favorite and had therefore decided to split a large one. She glanced up at him
as he sat down and she put Presley on the chair between them.

Lucy took a
slice of pizza and placed it on her plate. “This looks delicious.”

“It is. For a
small town we have some of the best eating places around. Or maybe that’s
because I’m a bachelor and eat out a lot.”

“Do you get a
discount because you’re the sheriff?”

 
“I think that would be considered a bribe.”

Lucy laughed
before taking a bite of the pizza.

“So you like
being the sheriff?”

He could only
nod as his mouth was full. He swallowed and wiped his chin with the napkin. “I
think the people like me too, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Brad glanced
over and noticed a smear of pizza sauce clinging to Lucy’s cheek. He was about
to tell her but then he opted to clean it himself. He lifted his napkin and
dabbed it away. They sat looking at one another again. It was getting awkward
but he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say until the most stupid thing rolled
off his tongue.

“Do you have
a boyfriend?”

She shook her
head. “There was a guy I liked. In fact, I liked him since we were in
kindergarten but I never got the nerve to tell him. And to cut the story short,
he just got married.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, I
guess that’s what happens when you hesitate about matters of the heart.”

He took a
deep breath. Wasn’t that the
truth.

“I’m sure
there’s someone else out there for you.”

“Yeah, that’s
what Ms. Sutton told me, too.”

“Sadie.”

Lucy nodded.

“She seems
like a real nice lady. Presley was fascinated by her.”

“I think
children are drawn to some people.”

“Presley seems
to have taken to you, too.”

Lucy leaned
back and smiled at her. “I’m glad to hear that, and I think we’re going to have
lots of fun together. “

“That’s great
because I’d feel like a bad parent working long hours and leaving her with
different babysitters. I’d like her to have some stability in her life.
Presley’s mother did a downright dirty thing and I want to make it up to my
daughter.”

Lucy put her
hand on top of his. It felt so good and better than he would have ever
imagined.
 
It was a simple gesture that
made him tingle all over.

“Just relax,
because you’re doing great and she’s going to be a happy girl all her life. I
know it.”

He nodded and
she tapped his hand before pulling it away.

“Anywhere
you’d like to look or shop before we head home?” he asked her.

“No, but now
I know where the shopping center is so Presley and I can take some day trips
out.”

“Hope you’re
not going to teach my little girl to be a shopaholic.”

“Oh daddy,
oh, you don’t know what lies ahead for you. There will be dating and make-up
and…”

“Okay,
enough,” said Brad laughing.

****

Lucy couldn’t
sleep and not just because she was in a strange house and bed. Since her head
had hit the pillow, she’d thought of nothing else but Brad. She turned onto her
side and fluffed up the pillow. The falling snow made the bedroom light which
made getting some shut eye even harder.

She turned
back to her original position and looked up at the ceiling. Who would have
thought she would have forgotten all about Bryce so easily and not to mention
so quickly? Not that she’d totally forgotten about him. He’d always be her
friend. She twirled her hair between her fingers, something she always did when
she was deep in thought or stressed.

She’d made
one vital mistake with Bryce. She hadn’t told him how she really felt and that
she didn’t want to consider him just a friend any more. She wouldn’t be foolish
enough to do that ever again.

Lucy knew she
already had some feelings for Brad. However, revealing that to him, with him
being her
employer,
would be downright stupid. The
best thing to do would be to tell him she’d gotten a sudden offer for her ideal
nursing job and simply leave. But she hadn’t, and she loved being around
Presley.

Lucy finally
gave up on falling asleep. She reached over, flicked on the bedside lamp and
pulled out one of the novels she’d brought with her. If she didn’t get to sleep
soon she’d be in no shape to take care of a baby.

****

Brad guessed
it was still snowing because of the brightness in his bedroom. He was usually a
sound sleeper but since instant parenthood had been thrust upon him almost a
week ago, he’d been waking in up at night to feed and change his daughter.
Daddy radar had set in quickly, turning him into a light sleeper who kept a
constant vigil for the least little whimper from his baby girl.

Who am I kidding?

Tonight his
insomnia had nothing to do with being a father. The young woman who slept just
down the hallway from him was the real reason.

On the ride
back from shopping, they’d discovered they had so many things in common. They
listened to the same radio station. They liked the same things on TV. She
actually watched shows like ‘Masterpiece Theater’ and ‘Nature’ on PBS. He’d
never told anyone, but he did too.
Black Forest
cake was both their favorite dessert. It was if something out there in the
universe had brought them together but yet her working for him had ironically
put her off-limits.
 
The last thing he
needed was to be accused of sexual harassment.
Him the sheriff.
That would
certainly be the talk of Pine Ridge.

Was that
Presley crying?

He got out of
bed and walked to the door. He didn’t hear anything. He headed back to the bed,
but now he was sure he heard her crying. He wondered if Lucy had heard her
too?
Maybe not as the house and baby were new to her, so he
should probably check.

Brad headed
down the hallway, opened the baby’s bedroom door but stopped in his tracks when
he saw Lucy was already there, rocking his daughter in her arms and singing
Rock-a-Bye-Baby to her. She wore a t-shirt that was a little on the short side.
It clung around the very top of her thighs which seemed to beckon to him.

He swallowed,
hoping he could get rid of the lump in his throat and the sudden tightness in
the front of his shorts due to his erection.

My shorts.

Shit, he’d
rushed out of his bed and room forgetting he was wearing the ones that had
shrunk slightly during the last couple of washes, causing the opening to gape
and expose some of his bits and pieces.

 
He glanced down, hoping it wasn’t as obvious
as it felt.
 
Yes, you could probably see
his hard-on from outer space. In fact, his dick was straining against the
opening and doing its best to break free. His cheeks burned and he sensed he
was blushing.
What must Lucy be thinking?

Maybe she
hadn’t noticed. He glanced over at her. Her eyes were definitely zeroed in on
his crotch and his erection was getting worse and more painful.

“I’ll warm
her formula and feed her,” she said.

He stepped
aside without saying anything. As she made her way downstairs with Presley, he
rushed into his bedroom and pulled on his sweatpants. The erection was still
obvious but at least his dick was safely covered. He tried to think of
something other than Lucy and her short t-shirt, but he couldn’t get the image
out of his mind.

Brad raced
downstairs. He couldn’t leave it like this as it would be too embarrassing for
both of them in the morning. He turned the corner into the kitchen. Damn, the
situation was getting worse by the second. She had the fridge door open and was
bending trying to reach something on the bottom shelf. Her pink floral panties
were on full display.
 
Where
they didn’t quite cover her backside, her cute cheeks hung below them.

He dug his
toes into the wood flooring, hoping that would take the edge off the pulling
sensation in his balls. He grabbed the back of the kitchen chair and almost
made indents in the wood where he squeezed it so hard trying to get control of
the situation.

It was the
first time in his life he’d found himself in this predicament. Highly attracted
to a woman, his body more than ready to get her between the sheets, but unable
to act upon his urge.

She turned
around and jumped when she saw him, putting her hand on her chest.

“Geez, I
didn’t hear you come into the kitchen,” she said.

“Sorry. I
should have said something.”

But I was being naughty and admiring the great
view.

“Hope you
don’t mind me getting something to drink while I’m down here waiting for
Presley’s milk to warm.”

“Absolutely
not.
Like I said treat this as your home.”

He made a
face as his daughter sat patiently in her carrier that Lucy had placed on the
countertop. She eyed Lucy as if she knew food was on its way.

“Are you
okay? You look like you’re in pain. You want me to take a look at something for
you?” she asked him.

That was the
last straw. The thought of her checking out his dick and balls sent him over
the edge.

“No, no, I
just stubbed my toe on the way into the kitchen, that’s all.”

He knew he
should just turn around and go back to his room, but he couldn’t move until his
erection subsided.

Think of
something boring, bland and…

“Looks like
it’s
still snowing,” he said. He took a deep breath,
watching her as she lifted Presley out of the carrier, sat with her on her lap,
and offered her the bottle. It was a picture perfect image. She looked so
natural and at ease holding a baby.

“You don’t
have to get up for middle of the night feedings, that’s what you’re paying me
for.” She glanced over at him.

“I was awake
anyway, but I think I will head upstairs and try to get back to sleep.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

“
Night,
and night Presley, sweet dreams.”

He turned,
walking like he had a limp, and dragged himself up the stairs. He got back to
his room, took off his sweats and slipped under the covers. He heard Lucy’s
footsteps going by his door and then noticed the light in the hallway that
shone under his door, disappear. Five minutes later, he heard her door closing.
The head of her bed sat on the other side of his bedroom wall. Just seven feet,
plus a couple of feet of drywall separated them.

Brad closed
his eyes hoping that would help, but all he saw was Lucy in the t-shirt,
standing holding his daughter.
Lucy in the kitchen bending
over.
If it wasn’t that he’d wake Presley, and probably Lucy too, he’d
head to the bathroom and take a nice long cold shower to help cool his libido.

He even
thought about jerking off, but put the idea quickly out of his mind. He turned
onto his side. He hadn’t had sex since the last time he’d been with
Nevie
. Most likely the night Presley was conceived. He
hadn’t thought about dating anyone since. Making love had been the last thing
on his mind since he’d been lured into a nothing but sex and only sex,
relationship with
Nevie
. Yeah, that should have been
proof in itself it wasn’t going to last.

She’d waltzed
into the bar where he went drinking after work. A model from LA, gorgeous,
blond, long-legged, and he’d caught her staring at him and asked her to dance.
She told him she could learn to love a quaint little place like Pine Ridge and
they’d gone back to his place and fucked non-stop.