From Duty to Daddy (9 page)

‘Right. I’ll get dressed. Oh...’ Her gaze dropped to her front and she quickly pulled the robe closed over those thought-diverting breasts. ‘I—I won’t be long.’

He watched her cute butt as she all but ran to her bedroom. The satin slipped and slid, accentuating the curves that led to her legs. Legs he remembered waking up and finding entangled with his most mornings they’d been together. Always smooth, soft and yet firm, perfectly suntanned. Athletic. Sensational. Sexy as hell.

The groan that tore from his throat was filled with raw need. How long could he last without touching her, without feeling her naked body pressed against his? Without her sprawled across him after mind-numbing sex? How had he managed to stay in his own bed every night, knowing she was just down the hall?

So much for deflating his hard-on. It was bigger than ever. A cold shower might fix it. Or a solid, knee-slamming, gut-busting run. With a hard-on? Yes, damn it.

‘Aimee, go and see Mummy. I’m going out.’

‘Me come.’

‘Not this time. Charlie,’ he called, ‘I’m heading out for a run. You okay with Aimee?’

‘Sure.’ And there she was, scooping Aimee up into her arms, avoiding looking at him. She’d dressed super-fast. Her blouse was skew, with the buttons lined up incorrectly. ‘Let’s have some breakfast, sweetheart. Morning, Dad.’

Brendon stood at the end of the hall. ‘Morning, love.’

Great. Now he had to get out of the house without either of them noticing his predicament. He turned for the front door, in a hurry to get out of there.

As he closed the door he heard Brendon saying, ‘I’m going fishing on Saturday on the Tongariro River, staying over for the night at Billy’s shack.’

Up the ante, why don’t you?
Marshall’s shoes slapped the pavement as he headed for the lake.
Charlie and I alone in the house all damned night?
Knowing Brendon slept at the far end of the house had been about the only thing keeping him from knocking on Charlie’s door most nights. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to abuse the man’s hospitality in that way.

He paused at the kerb, looked left, then right. Damn, got it wrong again. Looked right, then left and shot across the road to the path wending around the lake edge. The lake was calm this morning, as it often was until the afternoon breeze struck. At the far end, miles away, mountains rose into the pale blue of the morning sky. No denying the raw beauty of this place.

His heart ached. For the beauty. For Charlie. For the fact he had to leave at the end of next week. The army and his men awaited him.

* * *

Amazing. Charlie grinned. Once again Marshall had put her favourite breakfast together while she’d been in the shower after their run. He’d returned home with her this morning, not bothering with going further. ‘I could get used to this.’

‘Don’t get your hopes up too high.’ Dad grounded her fast.

‘You don’t think he’ll come back to visit again?’ Her heart sank. The truth was that she didn’t either, but she couldn’t help hoping. He was obviously still attracted to her. That had been monumentally obvious the other morning. But so far he hadn’t acted on that attraction.

Dad buttered his toast. ‘I’m sure he’ll visit. Often.’ The raspberry jam went on thickly. ‘I just don’t want you getting hurt. Marshall will do the right thing by you and Aimee. But I’m not sure that means making your breakfast every morning for the next fifty years.’

‘You’re talking commitment.’ The cereal crunched between her teeth. ‘I always knew that would be a difficulty, but I can’t complain. I’ve got what I set out to find. If Marshall changes his mind about more involvement then that’s a plus.’

Despite her tiredness, she suddenly felt free of all the worries of the last two years. Free of the need to try and make Marshall see things from her point of view. If commitment wasn’t on his agenda, so be it. She’d find another way to make it work for Aimee. What that would be she didn’t have a clue. But he was here for at least another week. Surely something would come to mind in that time.

Why had he come to see her? He hadn’t known he had a child with her so it had to be because he’d had good memories of their time together. Had he thought they might pick up where they’d left off for a short while? A long, low sigh slipped over her bottom lip. Now, there was a thought. She’d love nothing more than to share a few hot nights under the sheet with him. But it wasn’t going to happen.

She still had to tell Marshall about her dodgy health. It hung over her like a stormcloud. Swallowing the last of her breakfast, she pushed back from the table. Today was Friday, and then there was the weekend. Who knew what they might get to talk about then? But first she had a day of patients to see to. And tonight it was her turn to cook dinner.

* * *

At last. Charlie’s car turned into the drive. She was well over an hour late home, which was unusual. Marshall’s heart stopped its panicked beating and his brain deleted the horrific scenes he’d conjured up.

He opened her door and drank in the sight of her. ‘Hey, you coming out to play?’

‘Sure. I missed you at lunch. But I heard you were very busy with the boating-accident victims.’

‘Yeah.’ His grin vanished. ‘When I was walking your way I saw a crowd on the beach and went to investigate. The moment I knew there were injured people out on the lake I volunteered to help. There were kids involved.’ His voice hitched with anger. ‘Two weren’t wearing flotation jackets. How can parents be so careless?’ He certainly wouldn’t put Aimee’s life at risk like that.

Charlie passed him a bag of groceries from the passenger seat before clambering out of the car. ‘The national water safety council has an ongoing battle with that every summer. They swamp the television programmes with ads about wearing lifejackets, target the worst offenders, and yet our drowning statistics are appalling.’

Marshall nodded. ‘This is very much a water-orientated country. I guess that explains some of the higher figures. But to let your kids out on a boat without any thought to their safety is beyond me. Why are people so careless with their kids’ lives?’ He shook his head at the stupidity of it.

‘Which is why Aimee’s already started swimming lessons and there’s a miniature lifejacket hanging up in the shed alongside mine.’ Charlie gave him a knowing grin. ‘You’re acting like a responsible dad.’

‘I feel like one. How cool’s that?’ He grinned right back. Damn, but she was cute when she thought she’d bested him.

She changed the subject. Typical. ‘Joseph says you were great out there today. Impressed the hell out of him.’

‘Good to know. That’s twice I’ve been able to help out. Seems I can be a doctor anywhere, not just on the battlefield.’ He felt surprisingly good about that. Food for thought.

Her eye-roll was lopsided and made him laugh. Draping his free arm around her shoulders, he tugged her close. ‘You and I are having a night out. All by ourselves. Dinner at Camper’s. I believe they do a damned fine meal.’

She stumbled, quickly recovered. ‘What about Aimee?’ What happened to asking me?

‘Brendon’s happy to look after her. He’s got to get his fishing tackle ready and cook a pie or something for lunch tomorrow.’

Her chuckle warmed him. ‘Dad’s fishing gear is always ready.’

‘Yeah, I kind of figured that, but I’m not going to turn him down when he offers to babysit so I can take you out for some one-on-one time. So, my lovely, how about you take yourself inside for a long, relaxing shower or bath? Then dress in something gorgeous and we’ll hit the town.’ Excitement twirled in his belly. A night out with Charlie. Bring it on.

CHAPTER NINE

M
ARSHALL
STARED
AT
the apparition floating down the hall towards him. A cloud of pink and yellow balanced on dangerously high heels. A hint of frangipani tickled his nose, bringing back memories of nights on the beach in Honolulu. The biggest, sweetest smile he’d ever seen split Charlie’s face.

He could not speak. The roof could’ve fallen on his head and he wouldn’t have got a word out. Charlotte was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, had ever had the good fortune to meet and touch, to kiss and laugh with. Holy Toledo.

‘Marshall? Is something wrong?’ The hesitancy in her voice mobilised him.

Two strides and he reached for her hands. Her fingers curled around his. ‘No.’ A swallow. ‘Nothing.’

Her eyes scrunched up, her brow creased. ‘I can change if my dress is all wrong. I’m so not used to dressing up these days.’

Now he got the hang of talking. ‘Don’t you dare. You look sensational. You took my breath away, that’s all.’ That’s all? It was huge. He didn’t usually stop breathing for anyone, let alone a woman. But Charlie was something else. If he ever fell in love it would have to be with someone exactly like her.

Relief battled with laughter in her eyes as she relaxed. ‘Thank goodness for that. For a moment there I thought I’d have to wear my best pair of jeans.’

‘Want to say goodnight to Aimee and your dad?’ He had to get out of there, get Charlie to himself. He’d come to Taupo with the vague idea of spending time with her, and so he had, but he’d been sharing her all the time. Tonight was his. Theirs.

* * *

The waiter showed them to their table at the window, where they had a bird’s-eye view of Huka Falls. Marshall had gone all out to find the best restaurant around. Charlie felt even more special, and determined to be fun and witty. And to stay awake—at least long enough to have dessert.

‘This is lovely,’ she murmured as she sank onto the chair he held out for her, having just nudged the waiter aside none too gently.

Then he further upset the young man by shifting his setting around so that he sat beside her and not opposite. ‘I want to see the view too.’

The way his voice caressed her, she wondered exactly which view he meant. Though if he’d wanted to stare at her all night, he wouldn’t have shifted, would he? Then his shoulder settled against hers and his hip touched hers and she smothered a sigh of pleasure. When his hand engulfed hers she smiled directly at him. ‘Are we eating one-handed? Rice or mashed spuds maybe?’

His grin warmed her through and through. ‘I’ve missed you. I want to be with you. It’s been great staying at your house, getting to know you and your family, but tonight I want you for myself. All of you.’

Gulp. So they were to have an interesting, exciting evening, were they? Bring it on. Heat trickled along her veins, warming her from head to toe. She loved being treated like someone very special. It boosted her flagging ego, made her feel completely feminine again. ‘I think I’ll have a glass of champagne tonight.’ Her strict regime of no alcohol could go to blazes. For tonight at least. She’d spent too long worrying about the possibilities of getting sick again. It was time to let her hair down and have fun. Pity she didn’t have that long hair Marshall had known before.

‘Atta girl. Let’s celebrate being together again after far too long apart.’

She could do that. And when a bottle of very good champagne appeared on their table almost immediately, she smiled. ‘So you’d already ordered?’

‘Yep. I remembered how much you used to enjoy drinking this stuff so hoped I could entice you into partaking tonight. I’m surprised that you don’t drink wine at all now.’

So she couldn’t relax completely. There was no way she’d spoil tonight with her sorry tale. ‘The moment I suspected I was pregnant I gave up anything remotely alcoholic. Then I breastfed Aimee for a while. Guess I’ve never really bothered since.’ She raised her glass and toasted him. ‘To you. Thanks for turning up out of the blue. You have no idea how much that meant.’

The rim of Marshall’s glass tapped hers very carefully. ‘The pleasure’s all mine. I really had missed you and during this last deployment found myself thinking about you more and more. Besides, I wanted to know how your medical career was going since I had some input in it.’ His lips seemed big and full against the delicate glass. Lips that could turn her body on with a single kiss. ‘I’m glad I followed up on those instincts.’

‘How often have you been deployed overseas since we were in Honolulu?’

‘Twice.’ When the gleam faded in his eyes she wished her question back. Marshall also had issues best left alone tonight.

Quickly changing the subject, she said, ‘Tell me about your grandparents and their farm. Didn’t you say you went there for school holidays?’ It must’ve been the right thing to say because the tension she’d begun to feel in the hand holding hers backed off. She turned a little so she could watch all his facial expressions. There’d never be enough time just to absorb them, drink in this man who had her heart in his care.

‘You’d have loved Grampy and Gran. They were so loving and sharing, like you and your father. I always put on a right performance when it was time to go back to whichever base my parents were at after my stays with them. I never understood why I couldn’t just go to their local school.’

‘So you went to a lot of schools?’

‘Oh, yes. Too many. Not like you, eh?’ His hand squeezed hers. ‘What is it like, living in the same place all the time?’

That was easy. ‘I don’t know anything different. Apart from Mum’s death, I had a truly happy childhood. I learned to sail on the lake and can catch a trout on a spinner.’ She grinned when his eyebrows rose. ‘There were week-long school trips to the mountains for skiing and day trips to Rotorua and the mud pools.’

‘You sound like a travel brochure.’

The champagne bubbles burst on her tongue. ‘That’s divine. How could I have managed not to have this for two years?’ She saw the waiter hovering and added, ‘Guess we’d better order our meal.’

‘What’s the hurry?’ Marshall picked up his menu.

I turn into a pumpkin at nine o’clock.
‘I’m hungry.’

Charlie ordered steak, medium-rare, and mushrooms, while Marshall went for the lamb rack. ‘Should try what this country’s famous for.’

‘Have you told any of your family about Aimee yet?’ she asked quietly a little while later.

‘No. I’d talk to you before I did that.’

She stared at him. ‘You don’t get it, do you?’ Hadn’t he picked up on any of her vibes? ‘If I hadn’t wanted you and your family’s involvement with Aimee I would’ve sent you packing the moment you stepped through the front gate.’

As the waiter placed their meals before them Marshall kissed her cheek. ‘Sometimes I get it wrong when it comes to knowing you.’

‘We don’t know much about each other at all.’ But for her it had been love at first sight.

They talked and ate and enjoyed the wine for the next hour. Marshall was reticent about his army career and his parents. Charlie avoided her illness completely, fudging over those months when she’d been going through treatment. He raved on about the farm in Montana and how he’d learned to ride horses when he was nine. She spoke of her girlfriends and all the pranks they’d got up to as teenagers, and how she hoped Aimee would have such good friends as she grew up.

‘Are any of those friends still living here?’ he asked as he reached for the dessert menu.

‘Jacqui’s a teacher at the local high school, and Lisa is a radiologist up the road at Waikato Hospital. It’s hard to see a lot of each other with our careers and families getting first dibs on our time. But twice a year we go away to a spa for a girls-only weekend.’

Marshall dropped his chin into his palm. He looked so sexy. Those come-to-bed eyes twinkled at her, making her toes curl with desire. How had she managed to stay out of his bed all week? ‘Spare me. I can hear the three of you now, talking non-stop for the whole weekend.’ Then he grinned at her. ‘I’m having the strawberries. You?’

‘Same,’ she muttered around a sudden yawn. At least she’d made it until now for the first one. Hopefully she’d be okay for the rest of their meal. Shouldn’t have had the champagne. Hurriedly covering her mouth as another yawn ripped through her, she forced herself to focus on the menu. ‘Strong black coffee, too.’

Marshall squashed a flare of disappointment when Charlie yawned for a third time. They’d made it to nine o’clock before her tiredness had won out. He’d been hoping that a change of environment, a romantic dinner for two and just relaxing and talking might’ve kept her alert for longer. But seemed he was wrong. She was fading fast. Leaning close, he kissed her cheek. Then the corner of her sweet mouth. Then her lips. She tasted of champagne and mushrooms.

‘Come on. Let’s go home.’ Standing, he lifted her up against him, kissing the top of her head softly. That exotic fragrance wove around him again. So Charlie. So erotic.

But Charlie sat back down. ‘No. We’ve ordered dessert and coffee. I’d like to enjoy them.’ Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, as though she was deliberately holding them open while her brain was trying to make her go to sleep. ‘Please.’

‘Am I allowed to carry you out of here later?’ His grin was forced.

Glancing around the nearly full restaurant, Charlie laughed. ‘That’d be entertaining.’

‘That’s a yes, then.’ He slid back onto his chair and pulled it closer to her. To feel her thigh against his gave him a sense of belonging. Yet he never wanted to belong to someone, not even Charlie. That would mean living with her whenever he wasn’t on active duty, which he could handle, even enjoy.

But he never wanted see the light go out in her eyes as he packed to go away for months on end. He knew the hurt and anger and sense of abandonment that went with that look. Because he’d felt it, seen it in his own eyes every time his parents had headed out, leaving him behind.

Her elbow jogged him. ‘Where have you gone?’ she asked as she tried to hide another yawn.

‘I’m right here, babe.’ She shouldn’t be so tired all the time. About to ask about it, he stopped, swallowed the words. They were having a good time. Why spoil it? But he would be talking to her later. Maybe making an appointment for her with one of her partners at the medical centre.

Thankfully the desserts and coffee arrived and they went back to chatting about everyday things.

* * *

Marshall didn’t have to carry Charlie out of the restaurant but he did carry her up the path and through the front door of her house. She was unbelievably light in his arms. Her eyelids had drooped shut, her eyelashes dark on her pale cheeks. Not even the light dusting of make-up had given colour to her face. With her head lolling against his shoulder, he felt incredibly protective of her. Wanted to look out for her. Knew he’d do anything to keep her safe. And happy. Anything except quitting the army and letting his men down. Even that was beginning to feel odd.

‘Have a good time?’ Brendon asked from the kitchen doorway. ‘Charlie didn’t make it all the way, then?’ Sadness darkened his eyes as he followed them down the hall to Charlie’s bedroom. ‘Shame, when she was so excited about going out. It’s been so long since she dated.’ Ducking around them, he headed for the bed and pulled back the covers.

So Charlie hadn’t been dating. Didn’t make a lot of sense. She was attractive, gorgeous and very friendly. Having a toddler wouldn’t prevent most hot-blooded men from wanting to spend time with her. ‘We had a fabulous meal. Perfect setting for spending special time together.’

He placed Charlie on the bed, pulled up the sheet and tucked it under her chin. Standing back, he gazed down at the beautiful woman who’d somehow managed to snag his heart when he’d thought he’d had it well and truly locked away. Goddamn it, he loved her. No denying it. He loved her. For the way she just accepted him. For how she made no demands on him and didn’t ask what he was going to do about his daughter. Love meant protecting. It meant making sure Charlie and Aimee got what was best for them.

Brendon cleared his throat. ‘If it’s all right with you, I thought I’d head away tonight. Bill and I like to be on the river before sun-up and he’s already gone down to the shack.’

Twisting his head, he met the keen gaze of Charlie’s dad. This man was on the same page as him. Wanted only the best for his daughter and granddaughter. And yet he was leaving Marshall alone with them for the weekend. Didn’t he know what would most likely transpire? Then he saw the understanding, the acknowledgement of his daughter’s needs in the man’s eyes. ‘Of course it’s okay. Just bring me back a trout to taste, won’t you?’

‘Then I’ll be off.’ Brendon leaned down and kissed his daughter’s cheek. ‘Goodnight, sweetheart.’ When he stood up he was blinking hard.

What the hell? ‘Brendon?’

The guy turned for the hall, waving a hand over his shoulder. ‘See you Sunday night.’ Then the front door closed, and moments later Brendon’s car pulled out onto the road, the sound of the engine fading into the night.

Marshall went through the house, locking up and turning off lights. Was Brendon afraid he was going to take his girls away to the States? The man’s big heart wouldn’t stop them going if that’s what Charlie wanted, even though it would break him apart. If only the guy had said something, he’d have reassured him that wasn’t going to happen.

He had no intention of bundling Charlie and Aimee up and dragging them off to another country where they knew no one and would be left to fend for themselves for months at a time. He might like the army but Charlie living on base? After growing up here with family and friends all around? It would never work. Not to mention being totally unfair.

He checked on Aimee and grinned to see her lying on her back with her teddy clutched tightly against her. How had he managed to father something so gorgeous that his heart hurt? She was a cracker of a kid. A Kiwi kid. He kind of liked that.

Now what? He was feeling antsy. His night had been cut short. There’d been no particular plans for after dinner but Charlie falling asleep on him hadn’t featured either. His grin was self-deprecatory. So he’d been a boring date? Not if the way she’d cuddled in close to him had been a clue. That small, hot body had seemed to fold into his shape. No denying he’d hoped they might’ve got hotter than just touching.