Authors: Susan Mallery
Tags: #Contemporary, #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Historical
He'd already spent the better part of an hour holding the perfect little girl. Staring down at her red, wrinkled face had given him an odd feeling. He wanted a daughter.
Of course he loved his boys and he wouldn't trade them for anything, but a girl would have been great. He frowned. Although he wouldn't want one like Krystal.
"What are you so serious about?"
Jordan
asked, coming across the second-story landing and pausing beside him.
Craig shrugged. "Just thinking."
Jordan
glanced into the nursery. "You'd think with all the kids running around here, they'd get tired of new ones being born."
"Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Every kid is special."
Jordan
looked skeptical. "You've got three already. Are you trying to tell me you want another one?"
"Maybe," he said, watching Jill.
She smiled down at the baby. He read the longing in her eyes, although he doubted anyone else saw it. "You think it's true?" he asked.
"What?"
Jordan
wanted to know.
"The curse. You think the real reason we had four generations of boys is none of the men loved their wives?"
"I don't know. What do you think?"
Craig pushed off the door and walked over to the railing. From here he could see Louise climbing the stairs, and beyond her to the first floor. Travis and Kyle were downstairs, playing some kind of tag game with several of the children. Shouts of laughter and snatches of conversation drifted up to the second floor.
"If the curse is true," Craig said, "it doesn't say much about my marriage to Krystal."
"You got a divorce. What did you expect? You don't divorce someone you're in love with."
"Are they still gawkin' at that child? I swear, a body would think they'd never seen a baby before." Louise reached the top of the stairs, then crossed to the nursery. She placed her hands on her hips. "You women need to let the poor thing sleep. She's not going anywhere. You can look at her later."
Craig stared after her and grinned. Louise was a force of nature. She was in her mid-forties, with short blond hair and a smile that invited the world to share her joke. Her clothing was a little eccentric, with mismatching colors that somehow managed to look right. She dressed to emphasize her impressive hourglass figure and didn't look like anyone's idea of a mother, but she'd helped out Travis and Elizabeth for nearly two years. When Austin and Rebecca had their baby, she'd gone to stay with them for several weeks. Now she was going to help Sandy and Kyle.
"Go on with you now," she said, flapping her arms.
Elizabeth, Rebecca and Jill slowly walked into the hallway and started down the stairs.
Sandy
lingered by the bassinet.
"How you feelin'?" Louise asked, touching
Sandy
's arm. "Everything hurt?"
"Just about."
Sandy
's smile trembled at the corners. "I'm way too old for this."
"Nonsense. You're just the right age. You've done yourself proud." Louise pulled her close and held her.
Craig turned away, suddenly embarrassed for intruding on an obviously personal moment. He glanced at his brother and saw
Jordan
scowling at the two women.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Jordan
shrugged and shifted so he was leaning against the railing. "Don't you find it odd that Louise is a part of the family?"
"I hadn't really thought about it. Travis hired her years ago, while he was still a bachelor."
"I know. But she's always around at family events. We don't know that much about her. We don't know who she really is."
"She's just Louise. What's the problem?" Craig frowned.
Jordan
didn't usually take a dislike to someone without good reason.
Jordan
glanced over his shoulder. Louise looked up. Their gazes locked. An emotion that looked very much like pain crossed the older woman's face. Then
Sandy
spoke, drawing Louise's attention to herself.
"What's going on?" Craig asked quietly.
"Nothing. It's old news. It doesn't matter anymore. If it ever did."
"Damn it,
Jordan
, just tell me—"
"Hey, you two wanna play football?" Kyle called from the first floor.
"Sure."
Jordan
headed for the stairs.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Craig asked, following him.
"It doesn't matter anymore. I shouldn't have said anything."
There was a secret between Jordan and Louise. But what could those two possibly have in common? Before Craig could try to figure it out, he was hustled outside.
Travis and Kyle were acting as team captains. All the children were standing in front of them, obviously willing themselves to be picked first.
"Danny," Travis said.
Danny whooped loudly and jumped next to his team captain. "Look, Daddy, I got picked first!"
Craig smiled. "I see. Good for you."
Kyle picked Michael,
Austin
's adoptive son. The boy called on Rebecca, but she threw up her hands and said she wasn't going to play so he picked
Austin
instead.
Danny yelled, "Jill!"
She thought for a moment. "All right. I'll play."
Craig moved toward her. "The games sometimes get rough."
Travis nudged him with his elbow. "Don't worry, Craig, I'll take care of her."
"Me, too," Danny said, grinning.
He wanted to protest, but he didn't have the right. Jill gave him a "see there" look and went to stand next to Danny. She chose C.J.,
Austin
chose Jonathan, and so it went until everyone had a team. Elizabeth and Jill were the only women playing. The kids varied in age and skill level, but none of that mattered. They were out here to have fun. It was warm in the sunny afternoon. Everyone was in shorts and T-shirts, except, of course, for Rebecca, who wore a sundress.
Travis hiked the ball to Jordan, who threw it long. Craig kept back, trying to make sure no one got hurt. Especially not Jill.
She was so tiny. She wore a bright blue T-shirt tucked into white shorts, so she was easy to spot in the shifting mass of players. She darted and ran. At one point, she nearly caught the ball. C.J. dove for her legs and knocked her down. They tumbled together like puppies, Ben and Danny joining the fun. Jill came up laughing. She ruffled Ben's hair, then tickled C.J. until he begged for mercy. Danny stood up and tugged her to her feet. Still smiling, she rejoined the game.
She touched Craig's arm as she jogged past. "What I lack in size, I make up for in speed and agility."
"I see that," he said.
Eventually he relaxed. He went out for a pass and caught it, giving his team the first score.
As he walked back for the kickoff, Jill fell into step with him. "You didn't tell me you'd made all-American in high school. I'm very impressed."
He wanted to puff out his chest with pride. "Yeah, well, it was a great time in my life, but I don't use it as an introduction."
"Did you play football in college?"
"Some. But six feet isn't all that big there."
Jordan
called her over to hike the ball. She waved and darted away. Craig slowed as he watched her have a whispered conversation with his brother.
Jordan
bent low and placed his hand on her shoulder. She stared intently, nodding every few seconds. Craig felt his fingers bend into fists, even as he told himself
Jordan
would never make a move on Jill.
"You're falling hard, buddy,"
Austin
said, reading his mind.
Craig forced himself to smile. "You fell first."
Austin
looked at his wife. "Thank God. She's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Craig had spent countless weekends with his family, but this was the first time he remembered having to fight constant waves of envy. He envied Kyle and Sandy their beautiful daughter. He envied both his married brothers and Austin their happiness. He didn't begrudge them what they had, he just wanted to know how he could do it, too. And this protective jealousy Jill inspired. What did that mean? Was he starting to really care about her, or just turning into a jerk?
"Ready?"
Jordan
called to the team.
Jill bent over the ball.
Jordan
stood right behind her, his hands brushing the inside of her thighs. Craig took a step toward them.
"Thirty-two, thirty-two, hut, hut, hut!" Instead of snapping the ball, Jill picked it up and started to run. Michael and Kyle got her first and grabbed her around the legs. One of the kids slipped and went careening into the pile, pushing everyone off-balance. They tumbled together. The tackle got bigger. Craig started toward them. Jill was on the bottom.
Jordan
reached her first. He moved people aside until he finally pulled her out. She was dazed, but still smiling.
"I guess you're too little to play with the big boys," he said, lifting her up in his arms.
"It's the story of my life."
Before Craig could do something stupid like challenge
Jordan
to a fight,
Jordan
walked toward him, then Craig lifted Jill onto his shoulders. "You'd better keep her out of trouble."
Craig reached up and grabbed her thighs to hold her in place. "You okay up there?" he asked.
"I like the view. Am I too heavy?"
He chuckled. "Hardly. Did you get hurt in the tackle?"
"No, I'm fine."
Jill shifted to keep her balance. She'd never been on a man's shoulders before, but she liked it. She wasn't kidding about the view. She could see everything.
She rested a hand on Craig's head. His hair was soft and springy beneath her fingers. He held on to her thighs, and the feel of his fingers brushing against her bare legs sent tingles all through her body.
They moved to the sidelines to watch the game.
"What do you think of all this?" he asked as Danny was handed the ball and started to run.
"You have a wonderful family. I've never known brothers who are as close as you four. It's terrific."
"We got lucky about some things, although we fought like hell when we were growing up."
"I think all kids do. The question is, are you there for each other when you're needed? And that answer is yes. I know your three boys watch you and their uncles. They're learning a good lesson."
They concentrated on the game for a few minutes. She enjoyed the way Craig's boys played with the other kids. And seeing the Haynes men in action, she was starting to see the similarities and differences. C.J. was very much like his youngest uncle, Kyle. An easygoing charmer. Ben was a little bit more like a cross between his dad and Travis. And Danny… She frowned. Danny was going to be his own man.
Craig tried hard to treat the boys equally and not show favoritism, but if he were to admit any at all, she suspected Danny would be his favorite. He always took extra time with the boy. Maybe because Danny had grown up with no memory of his mother, he'd bonded more with his father.
The other team made a touchdown, tying the score. Jill tapped Craig on the shoulder. "I must be getting too heavy. Please put me down."
"You don't weigh anything," he said as he swung her to the ground. She sat under the shade of an oak tree. Craig settled next to her.
"This is great for the boys," she said, watching Ben catch a ball and run several feet before being tackled.
"Yeah." Craig leaned against the base of the tree. "It's been too long between visits. I get so caught up in work, I forget how good it feels to come back to Glenwood. The boys and I need this connection with family."
She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. "In a couple of weeks I'll remind you it's time to come back."
He touched her back with his hand, his fingers lingering as they slid down her spine. "You do that."
Warmth curled in her belly. The heat had very little to do with sexual desire and almost everything to do with the comfort of belonging. She'd thought she'd found something special with Aaron and his girls, but comparing that to this group of caring people was like comparing a single raisin to a gourmet banquet.
She was starving for their love and caring. Every part of her called out to join in. To be part of the circle. Funny, she'd been married to Aaron and she'd never felt as if she fit in. Maybe, in her heart, she had sensed he didn't love her. She knew that she'd never fully trusted him, although she'd spent years trying to convince herself she did.
With Craig, she didn't have to do any convincing. She trusted him implicitly because he was a kind, decent man. His incredible body and knee-weakening good looks were just a bonus to the real treasure of the man himself.