Cattail Ridge (14 page)

The subtly placed sign on the wall directed him to the right, and the thick carpet in the hallway absorbed the sound of his footsteps. He slowed as he neared the room, the idea of renting a car and driving home for the weekend taking hold. He didn’t know if he could stand going another week without seeing Emma and Sydney. Decision made, he hesitated outside the room. He didn’t even bother going inside. Instead, he turned and headed back for the elevator.

Downstairs, he made a beeline for the front desk. A pretty brunette smiled up at him. He handed her the key.

“Hi. Um, my co-worker’s wife is here visiting him this weekend and she got this room for me, but I think I’m going to rent a car and drive home for the weekend. Can I get her a refund? I never even went in the room.”

The young woman was frowning. “What’s your co-worker’s name?”

“Jack Browning.”

She nodded and tapped the room key on the desk. “Well, I can’t really do that. You said you didn’t even go in?”

“Right.”

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter in this case. I would advise you to stay. I mean, it’s supposed to rain this evening and by the time you got a rental, it would be late. Didn’t you fly in from California?”

Archer wondered how she knew that but he was more focused on how to get Gilly’s money back. Now that he had the idea of going home in his head, he didn’t want to hear any reason why he shouldn’t.

“I think I’ll be okay. Tell you what, I’ll reimburse her for the room tonight. Just cancel it for the rest of the weekend.”

She looked over at the other woman manning the desk, who looked concerned. “Really, sir, I think you’d be more comfortable if you stayed here tonight.”

Archer narrowed his eyes. They were awfully intent on him staying for some reason. “I appreciate the hospitality and the concern, but I’ve not seen my family for two weeks. I really, really want to go home. So can we just cancel the room?”

The other woman came over. “I’ll tell you what. You go look at the room and if you still want us to cancel it after that, we will. But I’m betting you won’t.” She exchanged a satisfied nod with the younger woman.

“I must be more tired than I think,” Archer muttered as he took the key back. “Okay. Fine. I’ll go look at the room. But go ahead and get the information for the nearest car rental place together for me, please?”

The whole way back upstairs he kept shaking his head. “I should have just walked out or asked for a manager. Maybe it’s because it’s Tennessee, all that vaunted southern hospitality.” He was still trying to puzzle it out when he unlocked the door and swung it open. The rustle of paper like a magazine being set aside met his ears at the same time as a subtle hint of familiar perfume hit his nose. Archer froze in the doorway, disbelief washing over him.

For several seconds he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Emma?”

She gave a little wave as she stood from where she’d been sitting at the room’s small table. “Hi.”

He came into the room farther. When he reached the wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom, he saw that Sydney was asleep on the bed.

“What–how–you’re here?” He kept his voice low, still not sure he hadn’t fallen asleep on his feet and was dreaming.

Emma came over to him, stopping a couple of feet away. Her hands were clasped in front of her. “Surprise.”

He set his bag down and dropped the keys on top of it. Moving slowly, he reached out and touched her cheek. “You’re really here.” He didn’t give her a chance to answer, but pulled her into his arms. He took her mouth in a searing kiss, and when she kissed him back just as fiercely, he felt his heart settle into place.

By the time he pulled back they were both flushed and breathing a little heavier. He still didn’t let her go but ran his hands over her hair, her back, holding her tight against him to assure himself she was real.

“When Gilly surprised Jack, I had no idea you were here. She didn’t say a word.” A light bulb went off and he raised his head. “That’s why the women at the front desk didn’t want me to check out. You’re here.”

Emma gave him a puzzled smile. “You were going to check out?”

He kissed her again, softly this time. “I was going to rent a car and drive home. Go see a certain lady and her daughter.”

“Well lucky for you, the lady and her daughter came to you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “Is it okay? That we’re here, I mean.”

He pulled her so close it was a wonder she wasn’t standing behind him, and rested his head on hers. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Chapter Seventeen

E
mma was so nervous as she waited for Archer she thought she might be sick. The only other time she’d met a man for a surprise visit, she was the one who’d gotten the true surprise, and it hadn’t been a good one. While she didn’t think that was going to happen with Archer, she knew she was still taking a chance.

Sydney had chattered practically the whole drive down, and by the time they reached the hotel, she was more than ready for her nap. But she was desperate to stay awake to meet Archer, and she fought Emma fiercely on going to sleep.

Time won out, though, and she finally conked out. Emma settled down in the chair with a magazine, unable to focus on a single word or picture. She’d worn her hair down, and a shirt that she knew Amelia would approve of, one that hugged her curves without being too blatant.

She’d been trying to read for about ten minutes when the door opened, and Archer was there. The shock and disbelief on his face was priceless, and she thought briefly that she wished she had her camera out. That thought disappeared when he stepped inside, and she rose to meet him. The kiss he gave her curled her toes, something she thought was only a myth.

He looked almost as tired now as he had when he’d returned from Logan’s, she thought when she’d caught her breath for a minute. As she pressed her cheek into his chest, she sighed. He was so warm, so solid, and he smelled so damned good, she could barely stand it. If Sydney hadn’t been with her, she knew without a doubt that she’d be tearing his clothes off right about now.

“Gilly said she was staying until Monday. Do I take that to mean you are, too?” he asked.

“It does. If you want us here.”

“I thought we already established that I do.” He nuzzled her cheek and rested his face against hers, then pulled back. “How long has Sydney been out?”

“Not long. You look like you should join her.”

He gave a little shrug. “It’s been a long trip. I can’t believe you’re here.”

The gentle, reverent way he touched her face almost brought tears to Emma’s eyes. “I was worried you’d be displeased. That you might want to have some time to yourself. After all, you and Jack have been cooped up together for quite a while now.”

Archer grinned. “I was looking forward to sleeping in a room he wasn’t in tonight, yes. And he felt the same. But this arrangement is definitely preferable to what I had in mind.” He stretched, and she saw him wince. “Do you mind if I get freshened up just a little?”

“Of course not.”

He came back for another kiss. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

When he closed the bathroom door behind him, Emma sat on the bed next to Sydney and smoothed her hair back from her face. She didn’t stir, and Emma knew she’d be out for a while yet.

She tried to not think too much about the sleeping arrangements. There was a small loveseat in the room that pulled out and made a bed. There was no way Archer would fit there, and neither would she, for that matter. If she was being honest, she hadn’t driven all this way to see him and not share his bed. She didn’t intend to be intimate with him, especially not with Sydney in the room, but the idea of just sharing a bed, holding him and being held, had her stomach tightening in anticipation.

Sydney would get a kick out of the pull-out bed, she knew, though she didn’t expect that her daughter would stay in it all night.

“I guess we’ll find out how this is going to work tonight,” she whispered. “Should be interesting.”

Archer washed up and was back out to Emma in less than five minutes. She’d taken a seat on the bed, sitting up against the pillows on the other side of Sydney. Without a second’s hesitation, he toed his shoes off and joined her.

“Hi.”

Her smile was sunny and surprisingly shy. “Hi. Was Jack excited to see Gilly?”

“You could say that. You couldn’t pay me to go knock on their door right now.” He stretched out beside her and propped himself up on his arm. With his free hand, he played with her fingers. “I’m still trying to convince myself you’re really here.”

She shifted so that she was turned toward him slightly, and touched a lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead. Archer closed his eyes as she pushed it back, then threaded her fingers through his hair. He let out a long breath, as most of the tension he’d carried the last few weeks faded.

“Come here.” She tugged on his shoulder until he scooted over, and had him lay his head in her lap. “Now I can get to these muscles that are so tense.”

Archer sprawled out a little as she started rubbing. When his shirt kept getting in the way, he sat up and whisked it over his head. “Here. This will be easier.”

The feel of her hands on his bare skin, even though the situation wasn’t sexual, innervated him. He couldn’t prevent a small groan from escaping as he lay back down. Hooking one arm around her hips, he let his other hand rest on Sydney’s back.

They didn’t talk very much. Emma kept up the massage, alternating between the muscles in his shoulders and upper back, and his scalp. By the time Sydney started to stir, Archer was almost in a trance. If he’d still been able to shift, he thought there was a distinct possibility he would be purring about now.

The look on Sydney’s face when she opened her eyes and saw him was something he’d remember for the rest of his life. He imagined it was something like the look he’d worn when he realized she and Emma were in the hotel room. She didn’t get hyper and excited, as she was still half asleep, but she eagerly crawled over Emma’s legs and snuggled into the space they made for her between them.

They were a family. Archer knew there was no predicting what the future held. But for now, for this minute, they were a family. And for this minute, he wasn’t going to worry about the future. That would be stealing the preciousness from the present moment, and he wasn’t about to do that.

Chapter Eighteen

B
y the time Monday morning rolled around, Emma knew she was in big trouble. As much as she liked Archer, she’d half-expected that spending the entire weekend with him, with Sydney along, would put some distance between them. It hadn’t. Instead, the dratted man was more appealing now than he had been, and she was starting to develop what was a dangerous attachment to his presence.

Sydney had solved the issue of the sleeping arrangements very effectively by sleeping in between her and Archer every night.

“We’re on vacation, Mommy. You’re not supposed to sleep in your own bed on vacation. You sleep in someone else’s,” she’d explained when she made herself at home in the middle of the big bed.

Archer had laughed and tickled her until she squealed. “She’s right. Hard to argue with that logic.”

Emma appreciated that he was intuitive enough to know that she hadn’t been ready to really share a bed with him alone, regardless of whether Sydney was sleeping nearby or not. That he didn’t pressure her or get upset also made her fall in a little deeper than she already was. They still managed to hold each other plenty, and even sneak in some kisses, but that was as far as it went. For now that was as far as she was emotionally ready to go, no matter how much she wanted him.

Monday morning they met with Jack and Gilly downstairs in the hotel’s restaurant and had breakfast together. Emma didn’t have much of an appetite, and she noticed that Gilly was picking at her plate, as well.

“I wish we didn’t have to go back,” her aunt remarked when she saw the direction Emma was looking in. “But we have to, we both have businesses to run.”

“It’s only until Thursday.” Jack put his arm around her and kissed her temple. “And then I’m not leaving home for any reason for at least six months. When I do, you’re going with me.”

“Amen to that.” Archer stood and held his hand out to Emma. “Walk with me?”

“Sydney can stay here with us,” Gilly told him.

“Thanks.”

They still had half an hour before they left for the factory where they were training, and Emma let him lace their fingers together as they headed for the hotel’s patio area. Still very early, not quite seven o’clock, the private space was deserted.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, he tugged her into his arms. “I really don’t want you to go. I know you have to, but I don’t want you to. What if some handsome, charming guy comes along and snatches you up this week before I can get back?”

Emma turned her head and kissed his jaw. “Not possible. And I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here.” She sighed and tucked her head in, resting it on his shoulder.

“It’s only until Thursday. Well, Friday, really. We won’t fly out until later in the day, and probably won’t make it back to Hazard until ten or eleven o’clock. Jack and I are both off Friday, so maybe we can have lunch? And I could pick Sydney up at Mrs. Hendricks’s house. Spend the day with her. Then we could spend the evening together.”

“You could still come over Thursday,” Emma offered.

Archer pulled back, and traced the curve of her ear with a fingertip. “You really think you’re ready for me to spend the night? Without Sydney in bed between us?”

“As excited as she’ll be to see you? Who says she won’t be between us?”

His face showed his regret clearly. “What if she isn’t?”

Emma groaned and buried her face in his neck. “Damn it.”

“You know I want to be with you. I think that’s pretty evident,” he murmured in her ear. “But I don’t want to rush into things. This is too important.”

She knew he was right, but she was frustrated at the idea of not seeing him. And she did know that he wanted her. Every time they’d been able to cuddle, she’d felt just how much he wanted her. She wasn’t sure if that made her frustration easier to bear or harder.

Archer kissed her, but he kept the embrace circumspect. “I’ll call you Thursday, as soon as I get in. And you call when the three of you get home, okay? I’ll worry until I hear from you.”

She promised she would. They headed back inside and he said his good-byes to Sydney. Emma had expected her daughter to have a meltdown, but although she was very disappointed, she handled his departure well enough. Better than Emma, as a matter of fact.

“We’re packed and ready to go,” Gilly told Jack as the men stood to leave. “We’ll hit the ladies’ room and get on the road. We should be home before noon.”

Another round of hugs was exchanged, and they were gone. From the brisk way Gilly moved, Emma knew she was having a hard time saying good-bye, as well. They didn’t speak about anything personal until they were an hour outside the city. Sydney broke the ice.

“Mommy, can Archer move in with us when he comes home?”

Emma sucked in a breath, her hand going to her stomach. She looked over at Gilly, and her aunt reached out and squeezed her arm.

“Well, not really. He has his own apartment.”

Sydney nodded. “I know. I was there. He has lots of books and a picture of his brother. He’d like our house better. We should let him move in. He could have his own room.”

Gilly gave a snort of laughter under her breath. “Wonder how long that would last?”

Emma had to bite her own lip to keep from laughing. “Not long.” In a louder voice, she answered Sydney, “Archer moving in with us is a little more complicated than that, sweetie. That’s something that he and I would need to talk about, and take a while to decide.”

She could see Sydney’s frown, and knew the answer hadn’t pacified her. Sure enough, Sydney tried again. “But, Mommy, if he lived with us he could read me stories every night, and rub your feet. You liked it when he rubbed your feet, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Gilly wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement. “Do you know why, as parents, we love to see our children have children?”

“Why?”

“So we can watch you answer questions like this.”

Emma sighed. “That’s what Daddy says. Grandchildren are a parent’s revenge.” That gave her an idea, and she pushed aside any guilt she felt at using it. “Sydney, I’ll tell you what. When we get home, why don’t you ask your Grandma and Grandpa about Archer moving in? Maybe they can explain it to you a little better than Mommy.”

Finally, that satisfied Sydney’s curiosity. “Okay. And maybe they can tell me if you really need a mommy and a daddy to get a baby brother. I asked Archer and Logan, but they didn’t know.”

Gilly had to pull over, she was laughing so hard. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Emma wasn’t far behind. Sydney couldn’t figure out what was so funny, and after a few seconds, the cars driving by outside the vehicle distracted her from the topic.

After Emma could breathe again, she reached over the seat and tickled Sydney’s toes. “Sweetie, you definitely need to ask Grandma and Grandpa that.”

“You’d better have a video camera running when she does,” Gilly said as she pulled back out on the road. “Because that’s going to be priceless.”

Emma grinned. “I know. I’d pay good money to see Archer’s face when she asked him. And his brother! Oh, wow.”

“I miss Archer already, Mommy,” Sydney said after a while.

“I know, sweetie. So do I.” Emma was glad the upcoming week was going to be a busy one. It would be Zanny’s last week before she went on maternity leave, and they would be catching Amelia up on things, as she’d be filling in until Zanny came back. She had the feeling she’d need every moment of distraction she could find.