Flynn (5 page)

Natalie
leaned over and grabbed her laptop computer. She opened the lid. She’d chosen a
motel with Wi-Fi so she could check her work e-mails. She told them she was taking
an extended vacation. While she didn’t have any active cases, she had promised
to check in now and then. Natalie clicked on the Internet icon and typed in
Down syndrome in the search engine. She didn’t know the first thing about it
and didn’t know anyone who had a child with it, so she had some catching up to
do. Had she done something wrong before she’d gotten pregnant? If she had
another baby would it be at risk of having it? Did it run in families? She knew
her side of the family didn’t have anyone with it, but maybe Jon did. Her mind
was spinning.

Maybe
she could find a forum and ask questions of other parents. Maybe a doctor…

She
was getting so ahead of herself here. She’d come to Timber Creek for the sole
purpose of finding her daughter, keeping her promise to Jon, giving their child
the letter he’d left, and then leave. But life wasn’t that simple and once a
mother saw her offspring, maternal instincts kicked in.

Now
she was making plans for a future that included her being in Emily’s life. What
if she didn’t want that? What if Flynn wouldn’t allow it?
And
Flynn.
She had to admit part of the sudden attraction of sticking around
in Timber Creek had as much to do with him as it
did
her daughter.

She
slapped shut the cover of the laptop.

Nothing
in life was ever simple.

Chapter
Six

Flynn
hummed along to the music as he made his way to the motel to collect Natalie.
He had a surprise for her. He and Rory had already pulled her car out of the
ditch and it was waiting for her at the ranch. Apart from a little scratch on
the paint close to the right headlight, it was damage free.

The
sun was shining, and for the first time in ages, he felt sort of happy inside.
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew it wasn’t just the bright blue
sky that was lifting his spirits. He’d met someone he found attractive and he
was on his way to see her.

He
glanced in the rearview mirror, checking his appearance one last time. In all
honesty, it had been too long since he’d worried about how he looked. Even
Emily had picked up on it this morning at breakfast when she’d pointed out that
he was wearing one of his best shirts.

Flynn
laughed. She’d even splashed aftershave on him. Yeah, just about everyone would
be able to smell the sandalwood from miles away. He’d asked Rory to take Emily
off to her school. That journey usually took him thirty minutes there and back,
but today he wanted to treat Natalie to breakfast at his mother’s café. He
couldn’t remember the last time he’d been alone in the company of a lady who
wasn’t his mother or sister-in-law.

Speaking
of which, he slowed up when he saw his brother, Shane, getting in his truck at
the convenience store.

“Morning
Sheriff,” said Flynn.

“You
going on a date or something?” asked Shane.

Hard as hell to
keep anything to yourself in the Malone family.

“Just
helping out a lady who got stuck in the ditch outside our place and thought she
might like breakfast at Mom’s café.”

Shane
leaned against the truck and smiled. “That’s how things began with me and Lacey.
So when do I get to meet her?”

“I’m
not sure she’ll be in town long. She’s from Florida but looking for a vacation
home here.”

“Isn’t
that supposed to be the other way around?” asked Shane.

Flynn
shrugged. He didn’t care. She was here and she might be in town a lot if she
found the right house.

“I’d
love to chat more but I have to get these crackers to Lacey. She’s got the
worst case of morning sickness and Doctor Croft said these should do the
trick.”

Flynn
waved goodbye and smiled. He was excited about finally being an uncle, and he
couldn’t wait to see Shane changing diapers and dealing with midnight feedings.
It seemed so long ago he’d done both for Emily. Even sang to her as he walked
her up and down in the early hours of the morning trying to get her back to
sleep. She’d been so worth it with all the love she’d brought into his life.

He
began driving again. Now that his daughter was a teenager, he sort of missed
having a baby and little girl wandering around, getting under his feet, reading
bedtime stories to her, and pushing her on the swing until his arms ached.
Yeah, he’d love to have another child but to do that he had to find a suitable
woman. Or if the worst scenario happened, and he ended up a bachelor all his
life, maybe he could think about adopting again.

He
pulled up outside the motel. He remembered that Natalie had told him she was
staying in Room 34, which by the look of the numbers and their layout, was on
the second floor. He got out of the truck, pulled up his jacket collar and
headed up the stairs. Number 34 was the fourth room on the left. He tapped
lightly on the door.

He
pushed his hat back slightly, anticipating her answering it and what she’d
looked like today. The door opened and his heart skipped a beat, and he felt
the love struck teenager he’d been back in fifth grade when he’d had a huge
crush on Sally Jones.

“Hi,”
said Natalie smiling at him. She’d tied her hair back but a few tendrils had
broken lose, framing that pretty face of hers. What little makeup she wore
played up her beautiful blue eyes and high cheekbones. She wore a simple red
sweater and a black wrap around skirt. She wasn’t skinny like most of the women
were eager to be these days. This was a woman with curves. The sort he’d always
loved.

“You
want to step inside while I grab my jacket?” she asked.

He
took of his cowboy hat and entered the room.
“Did you sleep okay?”

“I
did, which is surprising because usually when I’m in a strange place I get
about an hour’s shut eye, tops.”

She
reached for her jacket and he rushed over and grabbed it and held it up behind
her while she slipped her arms inside the sleeves.

“Pardon
me if I’m stepping out of line, but this jacket and those boots, as lovely as
they look, aren’t suitable for this sort of weather,” he said.

“Yeah,
I’m realizing that now.
More suited to a cold Florida day.”

“Do
you have any of those?” asked Flynn. He held the door open and she walked
outside and locked the door.

“By
your Montana standards no, but to us if it’s not hot and sunny, it’s cold.”

He
laughed.

“So
you think my car will be easy to pull out of that ditch?” she asked as they
made their way to his truck.

“I
have a surprise for you. My brother and I did just that early this morning and
it’s waiting for you at the ranch. However, I thought you might like to try my
mother’s café for some breakfast first. My treat I should say. And yes, family
members get discount.”

She
smiled. “Thank you, that’s very nice of you, and I have to admit I’m starving.”

He
held the truck door open for her and she got up inside, the black skirt she
wore pulled around her hips as she slid over into the seat. The tops of the
black knit pantyhose with their lace topping caught his attention.

“No
Emily this morning?” she asked him as he got in beside her.

“No,
one of my brothers has taken her to school.”

“Does
she go to a regular school?”

He
shook his head and turned the heat up a notch. “No, it’s one for kids with special
needs, more therapeutic than academic. We’re lucky to have one in the county.
She loves it and has made lots of friends there. You probably noticed she’s a very
outgoing girl who’s not shy around strangers.”

“She’s
very sweet.”

“She’s
definitely that. Even if it’s been a bad day, she can make it seem a whole lot
better.”

“That’s
nice to know…I mean to hear a father say that.”

“Oh
yeah, I’m very proud of her.”

Seemed
Natalie had taken a liking to Emily, which was a very good thing. He’d hate
getting to know yet another woman who had no interest in being even half decent
to his little girl.

He
pulled into one of the spaces outside his mom’s café, turned off the ignition
and ran around to the passenger’s side of the truck to open the door for her.
He held Natalie’s hand as she got down from the vehicle. As they made their way
to the door, she almost slipped on some snow, but he caught her just in time.

“You
okay?” he asked. He continued to hold her, even though it was obvious she was
in no danger of falling over. They looked into one another’s eyes. Was she as
spellbound as him?

“Maybe
I should buy myself some proper boots. Did I tell you I’ve decided to take an
extended vacation so I can have a good look around the area?”

It was
the best news he’d heard in a while.

“That’s
great.”

They
walked in the café and he picked a table by the window and pulled out a chair
for Natalie. He took off his hat and hung it on the peg by the wall before
sliding into his seat, accidently bumping her knee as he did so. They looked at
one another again in much the same way they had outside. He’d been out of the
dating scene for a while, but not so long that he wasn’t able to sense some
chemistry going on between them.

“Is
there somewhere around here that sells boots?” asked Natalie

“There
is but not the type I can imagine you’d like. I tell you what—I’m taking Emily
into Missoula tomorrow to buy knitting wool. Why don’t you ride along with us?”

“Who’s
going to Missoula?” His mom now stood at the table with two menus in her hand.

“We
are,” said Flynn. “Emily wants to try knitting something for the Shane and
Lacey’s
baby, don’t suppose you’ve got time to teach her?”

“I
can do it,” said Natalie.

Wow,
a wonderful woman offering to teach a girl with special needs a new skill.

“Thank
you. I know she’ll be happy to think someone’s going to teach her. By the way,
Mom, this is Natalie Stevens who’s from Florida and in town to look for a
vacation home. Natalie, this is my mother, Marie.”

His
mom reached across and shook Natalie’s hand.
“Pleased to meet
you.”

“Same
here,” said Natalie.

“Can
I get you some coffee?” she asked.

“That
would be great.”

“And
you can look over the menu, but I’m guessing my boy here knows what he wants
already.” She headed toward the counter

“This
is a cozy place. I just love it,” said Natalie.

“Mom
bought it about ten years ago after the previous owner passed away. It’s
perfect for her because it keeps her out of trouble.”

He
raised his voice so she could hear the last few words. She walked back with two
mugs of coffee and put them down.

“The
only trouble I get into is sometimes not ordering enough eggs or milk.”

Flynn
winked at Natalie,
and
she smiled.

“So what
will it be for both of you?”

“My
usual,” said Flynn, handing her the menu.

“And
for you honey?”

“Eggs,
bacon, and toast.”

“And
how do you like the eggs cooked?”

“Scrambled.”

“Okay
then, I’ll get this order under way.” She walked back to the kitchen.

“Does
your mom run this place all by herself?”

“Lacey,
my sister-in-law worked her when she first arrived in town and still does now
and then. And Emily stops by and helps out Mom which is great for both of
them,” said Flynn.

“And
I take it she likes it,” said Natalie before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh
yes she does. She likes talking to the customers and she’s a great sales lady.
I know half the people leave here with cakes and cookies they didn’t really
want, but she has a way of talking them into those extra calories.”

Natalie
laughed and he smiled. She had dimples when she laughed. Emily did too and he
hadn’t realized it until he’d seen them on Natalie. How strange was that? This
lady was opening his eyes to all sorts of things.

His
mother brought over their meal and put the plates down in front of them.

“Oh
wow, this is a lot of food. I might not need lunch.”

“Well,
you better need dinner because if you’re going to teach my daughter how to knit
you’re invited to a meal at my house, and you can meet my older brother Rory
too,” said Flynn.

****

Flynn
was a sweetheart.

He
was also the sexiest man she’d ever seen.
A real cowboy with
a hat and boots to prove it.
And not to mention the
tight jeans.
She hadn’t thought about the whole men and dating thing for
ages, but he’d brought it to the forefront of her mind. She hadn’t been
eavesdropping to be nosy, but she hadn’t been able to close her ears to Flynn
and his mom talking when he’d gone to pay for their meals.