Black Hills Angel (Black Hills Series) (12 page)

"I would like that too." Her reply was so soft, she wasn't even sure she had said it. It was true. She wanted someone else to take the lead for once. She was tired. It was more than that. She was exhausted. It seemed like such a never-ending fight and uphill most times too. Maybe Matt really could take over the heavy lifting for a while. Maybe without all of the stress, she could finally fix some of the things that were broken; not all of them. She knew that wasn't possible. Just round off some of the jagged edges if she could. Harper did deserve a happy mom. Andy deserved to be happy.

"All right. Now we need to make a list of what we need for my house. I have zero baby stuff." Matt grinned as he led her from the bedroom. "I think I will move our office to the exercise room upstairs. That will open up the guest room for you and the office for Harper's room." He grinned at Andy. "Unless you want to stay in my room."

She rolled her eyes. Hastily her heart leaped and it was excited by the offer. Her head told her she needed her own space. Even if she might occasionally stay the night in his room.

"Not yet. Let's see how we navigate everything else. Just moving in together is a bit of a stretch." Andy tried to curb her grin when his expression fell some. He was really hoping she would rise to the challenge and accept his offer.
He should have known better.
Andy did grin then.

"So we need a crib, dresser, changing table, and a rocker." Matt ticked the furniture off on his fingers. Andy thought hard about what he was offering. New everything. Wow! She felt weird about him spending so much money on them and her without a job, but he looked so darned happy about it. She didn't want to shred his delight in treating them as he wished.

"Should we take anything from here? None of the furniture is great, but it's sturdy." Even she didn't sound so sure about hauling her old, worn out furniture into his lovely new and modern house.

"Just bring your clothes and anything else you cannot live without. Everything else we have or will go buy. I will still pay rent here so your stuff can stay until we know how this will work out, if that is fine with you?"

Andy was touched by his compassion and understanding. She nodded quickly. Her eyes drank in the curve of his lips and she mentally sighed. He always had such a way of turning her thoughts into something decidedly naughty. She took a deep breath and tried to remain on solid ground. Her mind wandered back to Monica and the conversation Matt had with Detective Briggs.

"Are you going to tell me what Detective Briggs had to say?" She tried to make it sound inconsequential, but of course, it wasn't. She felt like she was on pins and needles. She really hated uncertainty. Matt looked as if he were weighing just exactly what to tell her. She waited.

"He agreed that the tires had been slashed. Knife probably. He took some notes and made a call. We had a tow truck come get the car and take it to the garage for new tires." Matt was dodging what she most wanted to know. She had to ask. She had to see what he knew.

"Will it get worse? Did he say what he thought she might do now?" Andy's voice quivered.

"It's likely that she is getting more desperate. The protection orders are very nearly finished and that puts one more obstacle in her way." Matt reached out and held Andy's hand. His thumb stroked across her knuckles and back again. It felt good. The connection seemed to lessen the distance between them. She could feel the desire build again and push out into the world. It was like a flower blossoming in the sunshine and she marveled at how fragile and sweet it was. Her blood pulsed hot and needy in her veins. She swallowed hard and met his gaze as he took in the blush on her cheeks.

Pulling her slowly into him, Matt lowered his lips to hers.
Heaven.
A sweet, intricate world opened to swallow them whole. Never had she experienced immediate need and acceptance. There was a riot of bursting color behind her lids and she opened her mouth to him. His tongue sparred with hers. It flicked across her bottom lip and he held her tighter. Running her palms up under his t-shirt, she outline the warm muscles of his back to his shoulders. She groaned when his hand traced her hip and slid across her behind. He kneaded one cheek with a desperate grip.

Matt lifted his lips away from hers to set fire down her neck and to the hollow of her shoulder. She gasped at his lips on her skin. She pressed her breasts into him, silently begging for attention. He growled as he pressed his already impressive erection against her abdomen. Her core pulsed white hot and ached with an imperative need. Andy groaned low in her throat, causing Matt to pull her more firmly against him. There was no space left between them.

She wanted him. There was no possibility of denial here. She wanted to enjoy every feeling he created within her. She loved that she could make him crazy with need and that he wasn't afraid of letting her know it. Andy was glad that he had fought for them. She was beyond the moon that he didn't want this to end either. There was no guarantees on the future. No one could predict what might come, but one thing she knew was that right now had to be cherished. She did. She wouldn't trade these moments for anything. Matt was right. She did deserve happiness. She was going to reach for it with both hands. The future be damned.

Chapter Thirteen

Andy sighed in the quiet house as she sat in the overstuffed chair on the second floor. It had been such a mind blowing day! She rested her head back against the plush cushion and stared at the gently turning ceiling fan. It was hard to believe that just this morning she had been trying to work up the courage to tell Matt that they had to go their separate ways. Monica's threats and now the damage to her car was more than she was willing to deal with alone.
Alone.
Matt had refused even the possibility of them separating and at the last she had let him make his point. Her cheeks blushed.

She shifted in the chair at the thoughts of what they had done this morning. Feeling the temperature rising and her heart speeding up, Andy closed her eyes and let some of the scenes wash over her. It had been a turning point for her. She had decided to take a chance, more on trusting herself than trusting Matt. For some reason she didn't understand, she knew Matt would be a constant, her North Star. He was grounded, capable, sincere and unbelievably sexy! She grinned picturing him in half undress as he pressed his lips to her skin and how he moaned in his throat when she touched him.

Swallowing and trying hard to tamp down the desire that suddenly flared insanely hot, Andy got up from her chair to check on Harper one more time before she went downstairs. She slipped out her door and down the hall to the room right next to hers. The door was open and she went quietly inside. The room looked like a fairy tale. A huge dark wood chest of drawers loomed tall and silent next to the closet door. The dresser matched both the changing table and the sleigh crib. Beautiful yellow curtains shaded the full window. Andy couldn't help herself. She had picked a yellow, baby bedding set complete with yellow and white checked sheets and comforter. Matt had been a bit more practical with his baby monitor set, diapers, clothes, and assorted lotions, soaps, and powders.

Andy swept the room, taking in how wonderful it looked and grinned as she noticed the one not so practical thing Matt had chosen for Harper. A three-foot, yellow plush duck that sat in the cream colored rocker. Her grin settled a bit deeper in her heart and less on her face. Matt really did care about them. He wouldn't have invited them into his home and bought everything to make sure they would be comfortable. He was a gem! One she wasn't sure she would ever deserve, but if things continued on a good track, she would try very hard to deserve Matt Johnson.

Clicking on the small hand-held speaker, Andy walked out of Harper's room and went downstairs to the kitchen. Since she hadn't a vehicle to drive, she had convinced Matt to stop by the grocery store so that she could get something to fix for dinner. Matt was no help whatsoever when she asked him what they liked to eat. Andy wasn't a proficient cook, but she could make a few things well. Settling on lasagna, she rounded up the ingredients. It took a session of going from cupboard to cupboard and drawer to drawer to locate the utensils and cooking pans she would need.

Soon she had the hamburger browning in the skillet. She found a glass casserole dish that she could layer the entree inside to bake in the oven. Groaning as she tried to twist off the tomato sauce, Andy almost wished Matt were at home to open it. On her last attempt, the metal lid gave a bit and soon came off. Pouring just enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish, she layered lasagna noodles, meat, noodles, meat, sauce and topped it all off with mozzarella cheese. Covering it in aluminum foil, she slipped it into the preheated oven.

She loved the smell of cooking food. The warmth of the kitchen enveloped her and Andy fought back the urge to cry. Growing up at home, the kitchen was her favorite place in the world. Her mother would cook and bake, making every sense come alive. That warm place was where she always felt she belonged and was loved. It was where everything was understood. Andy sighed, leaning up against the counter and resting her chin on her palms as her elbows held her up.

If she were having a bad day at school, her mom would pull up a stool and offer a homemade chocolate chip cookie. They would talk. Her mom may not have been able to fix what was wrong, but just by listening it had felt like she did. She blinked back another wave of fresh sadness.
What happened? Why couldn't she be there for me now?
Her throat ached with the need to let the tears flow, but she refused to do it. She didn't want to cloud those precious memories with the ugliness of now. Besides she didn't want to ruin the warmth she still felt by cooking and baking for Harper. It was a gift she would give her daughter someday.

Andy's new cell phone rang with Adele's
Rollin in the Deep
as her ringtone. She loved that song!

"Hey Matt." She said into the speaker and smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Hey babe, we are about to head home now. I thought I would warn you."

"Warn me? You mean in case I was lounging around in my underwear?" Andy chuckled playfully.

"Oh, please don't tease me! I have been thinking about you with and
without
clothes all day." He laughed when she groaned into the phone.

"Me too." She half whispered, her cheeks blushing furiously. She burned at the thought of him without clothes on that muscled, tanned body of his. She wanted to run her hands over his chest, trailing that dark line of hair into his jeans.

"I talked to Garrett and he wanted a chance to talk to you tonight over dinner. Don't worry. He's going to throw in his support, I'm sure of it. Anyway, I will see you in a little while." Matt said before he hung up the phone after her goodbye. Her heart beat seemed to have fallen over itself and it hadn't quite recovered its natural rhythm. Matt loved his older brother, Garrett. Andy even liked him herself. She just wasn't certain of what he would say, let alone how he would feel about having his brother's girlfriend and her infant daughter living in the same house.
Girlfriend. Yes, I am!

Pushing away from the counter, Andy found the loaf of French bread and set to work. She sliced thick pieces, brushed each side with a mixture of butter and herbs, wrapped it in aluminum foil and slid it into the oven to warm. Her stomach rumbled at the smells perfuming the kitchen. Next she found the dishes and place settings to lay them out on the oak dining room table. The timer beeped on the oven and she quickly took up the hot pads to pull out the bubbling lasagna. Next she took out the French bread, opened to check on its melty goodness and smiled at her triumph. She carried the glass casserole dish into the dining room and set it on the large mat to keep it from scarring the table.

A loud cry came over the baby monitor to signal Harper was awake and not happy to still be in her bed. Switching the monitor off, Andy bounced happily up the stairs to the second floor and walked into Harper's room.

"How's my sleepy head?" Large blue eyes took in the surrounding room. Both of her tiny hands waved in the air for Andy to pick her up and she granted the silent request. Harper's downy head bobbed against Andy's chest and her heart swelled at the baby's insistence at being fed. Smiling broadly, she carried her daughter back downstairs to fix a bottle of formula. As they turned the corner from the stairs, the locked clicked at the front door and in walked Garrett and Matt.

"Honey, we're home!" Matt chuckled at his joke and dodged his brother's swat. Andy and Harper met them near the kitchen.

"Oh my goodness! What is that smell?" Garrett's eyes closed and he pulled in a long breath through his nose. His face softened, looking dreamy. Matt looked about the dining room.

"I made dinner. I hope you are hungry. This little one says she is." Andy said gesturing to a watchful Harper before she slipped into the kitchen for the bottle.

"It smells amazing and I'm starving. Let me just go and wash up." Garrett said as he took himself off to his bedroom further down the hallway. His master suite took up a good portion of the downstairs. Matt nodded, sticking his head into the kitchen.

"Do I have time to shower? I'm a bit sweaty from earlier." His voice tripped over
earlier
as his brow lifted in blatant meaning. Andy felt the heat infuse her cheeks and she nodded, looking back to Harper to hide some of her shyness.

Twenty minutes later, they were all seated around the dining room table with plates heaped with lasagna, French bread, and a salad. She had cheated and bought a chocolate cake, but she figured the boys didn't need to know that. The way they were eating dinner, she was sure they wouldn't even know! It was fun to cook for someone again. Matt had always ate whatever she made, but with them all at the dinner table, they felt like a family.

"Andy, this is wonderful. Thank you for making it." Garrett said in between mouthfuls of lasagna and bread. She smiled at him, but made no remark. She really wasn't sure what to say.

"You'll have to try her cheesy enchiladas too, Garrett. Wow!" Matt grinned as he reached for another piece of bread out of the basket. Andy met his gaze across the table. Harper cooed from the floor. Her daughter waved a rattle in the air. Andy took a deep breath and chased her food around her plate. It was difficult for her to ignore the herd of elephants in the room.
Way more than just one!
The brothers shared a speaking look and Garrett cleared his throat, laying down his fork.

"Andy, I want you to know that you are welcome here for as long as you need. Matt has explained the situation and I am in complete agreement." He looked a bit uncomfortable and Andy was confused.

"The situation?" She wasn't sure which one he was talking about. Matt's eyes questioned her and then flared with understanding.

"He means the situation with Monica. I told him what's been going on and we both think you are safer here with us." Matt quickly put in. Andy's mouth formed a small o and she looked down at her plate absently. Safety was important, but she still didn't feel like intruding was the answer.

"Monica has always been a bit
off
. The police and our lawyer will get it all sorted out. Until then, one of us will be in town if you need us. I will leave my cell phone number for you." Garrett said as he offered her a smile. Total support definitely wasn't what she expected. She scanned his eyes for anything other than that lurking behind, but there wasn't. Garrett was a good guy.

"Thank you. I hope you won't regret it." Andy mumbled the last, picking up her plate and taking it into the kitchen. She felt two sets of eyes follow her out.
What is your problem? They want you here.
It was going to be an adjustment. Things were changing so swiftly. It was difficult to know which direction was up.

***

Garrett glanced at Matt as Andy left the dining room. It wasn't quite the reception they had hoped. She looked unconvinced of their sincerity. Matt shrugged. He knew pushing Andy would not be a good idea and that she had to accustom herself to the changes. Honestly, he hoped it was sooner rather than later.

"Is there more than one situation?" Garrett whispered, leaning closer to his brother in hopes she would not hear them. Matt sighed.
Busted.

"There is a few, actually. I don't know most of it myself. She's all alone. Her family doesn't want her or the baby. She's been completely tipped upside down by Monica." Matt growled towards the end.
Monica was going to stop this!
Garrett nodded, taking it all in.

"What about the baby's father?" Garrett widened his eyes.
Wondering that myself.

"I don't know. We haven't talked about it. There's been too much going on." Matt lowered his voice as he heard Andy coming back. Garrett pokered up as he pushed his plate forward. Andy came in with a smile and a chocolate cake.

"Anyone up for dessert?" She asked, her eyes meeting Matt's. He couldn't tell if she knew they had been talking about her. She probably guessed though. He looked down at the tabletop. He felt bad about all that had happened, but he didn't want to deny that he loved her being within reaching distance. It was going to take some persuasion and understanding to make her comfortable in their house.
Better now than never!

"I would love a piece." Matt grinned at her, turning on the charm. She blushed, just as she caught his meaning. Garrett rolled his eyes, accepting a slice from Andy.

"Don't mind my brother, Andy. He rarely thinks about what he says before he says it." Garrett slid his fork into the soft chocolate cake and lifted the piece to his mouth. He groaned appreciatively.

"That's not fair, Garrett. If I filtered everything I said, no one would ever know if I was being honest or not. This way, you know I mean what I say." Matt took a triumphant bite of his own dessert and Garrett chuckled. Andy didn't say anything. She bent down to pick up Harper. The baby was starting to fuss. Matt finished his cake in a couple of bites and got up from the table.

"Let me take Harper up for a bath." Matt circled the table and plucked Harper from Andy's arms. He tried not to read too much into her
deer-in-the-headlights
look. He kissed the baby's cheek and left his brother and Andy together.

***

Andy felt as if someone had stripped away her shield. She was pretty sure her mouth was still open as she watched Matt leave the dining room with Harper in tow.
Well.
There wasn't much to say. She knew when she had walked back into the room that Matt and Garrett had been talking about her. Matt hadn't given away much and Garrett had pokered up. She looked at him now with some uncertainty as to how to approach him.
Should she?
Maybe she should just leave it alone.