In the Line of Duty (15 page)

He had her in his arms, and his mouth on hers in a hungry, possessive kiss right there in the driveway, before she could even turn around. For a heartbeat she was startled, then she wound her arms around him, opened to him and kissed him back with every ounce of passion and emotion she had. She wanted to show him, make him feel, how much she loved him. If this was all he had for her, she’d take it.

When he pulled away, there were cheers in the background, and Callie blinked, only then remembering they had an audience. It was Marley and Brice, who were, Callie discovered when she peeked around Matt, leaning up against the trunk of their car, clearly enjoying the show. Marley gave her a double thumbs-up. Matt didn’t even turn around.

“I love you, too,” he said, his voice rough and emotion shining in his eyes. “You and those boys.”

Oh.
Oh.
“Really? Even though I’m a little neurotic?”

He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “Not without reason. But yes, even with that.” He turned serious. “I’m sorry I pushed you over Eli being in the tree. That was wrong.”

She shook her head and fisted his shirt in her hand, then smoothed it down, the hardness of his chest contrasting with the softness of the cloth. She wanted to pinch herself, make sure this was real. “I needed it. It was so hard to see what I was doing. I was just so focused on not letting anything happen I lost sight of everything else.” She wasn’t proud of it.

“I’m still sorry.” He lifted her chin with his fingers and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “Where are the boys?”

She swallowed. “With Jason’s parents. They—you should know, they approve of this. Maureen basically told me I’d be stupid to let you go.”

Matt let out a big laugh. “Remind me to thank her when I see her next.” He pulled Callie close. “We’re getting an even bigger audience. Should we go inside?”

A glance around showed Colleen on her porch. The other woman gave a little wave and a big grin. Callie felt her cheeks heat. “Oh. Oh, no.”

“Your place or mine?” Matt’s tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious.

She hesitated, mindful of what might happen as they worked all this out. “Yours.”

From the softening in his eyes, she knew he understood.

“All right.” He swept her up into his arms and she gave a little squeak and threw her arms around his neck. He was so solid, so warm—and all hers.

“Matt! Put me down. I can walk,” she said, laughing.

“It’s faster this way,” he promised, and strode right past Brice and Marley. “Scram,” he told them, and Callie whacked him lightly on the shoulder.

“Be nice,” she scolded, but there was no heat in her tone.

“With pleasure,” Brice said, and Callie heard the laughter in his voice.

“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” Marley called gleefully, and Callie caught her wicked grin before Matt walked up on the porch, nudged the door open with his foot and carried her through.

He set her on the couch, then sank down beside her. She curled her feet under her as Aldo came up, whole body wagging. She rubbed his head and thought he looked pleased. Maybe even just a little bit knowing.

Matt turned her face to his and she smiled, then her breath caught as she saw the depth of emotion in his eyes. “Callie,” he said softly, and picked up her hand. “Are you sure?”

She laid a palm on his face, feeling the slight rasp of his whiskers, drinking in the sight of him, so close. She’d been sure she’d lost him. “I am so sure. I love you.”

He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I love you, too.” He touched her ring finger. “It nearly killed me the other day when I saw you’d taken your rings off. And I was losing you and couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” His voice was a rasp.

She leaned into him. It had been hard on her, too. “It was the right time, you know? I couldn’t wear them while I felt what I did for you. I’m not ready—” she took a deep breath “—not quite ready to replace them just yet. I will be, Matt. I need a little more time.”

He pulled her against him, tucking her head under his chin. “I know that. We’ll go at your pace.” He hesitated. “You asked me a while ago about my fiancée. Trina.”

“I did,” she agreed, pleating his shirt with her fingers. The woman didn’t have any power over him now. Of that, Callie was certain.

His voice was a rumble under her cheek. “She told me I wasn’t capable of letting another person in. That I was completely fine on my own, I didn’t need a partner, and that was why I couldn’t fully commit to her. I started to think she was right. Not that I wanted to be alone, but I just wasn’t cut out for being part of a family. But then you and those cute kids of yours showed up and shot that theory full of holes.”

Callie levered up and kissed his chin. “You’re welcome.”

He laughed a little, then sobered. “But she was wrong. I just hadn’t met the right person yet. Because I need you. You and those boys of yours. I want to do right by you. And Jason.”

Callie sat back and slipped her hand in his. Matt’s words made her heart sing. “You will. We will. He’d want me to be happy, and I think it’d make him happy to know I’m with you.”

“Love is a risk,” Matt reminded her, but there were finally no shadows in his eyes, or in her heart.

“Bring it on,” she answered, and he laughed and leaned in to take her mouth. She wound her arms around him and held on tight, because this adventure was just beginning.

She couldn’t wait.

EPILOGUE

Four months later

“P
ULL
IN
HERE
?”
Matt asked as they kayaked toward a sandy, grassy patch off the river.

“Sure,” Callie said, and steered her kayak toward the shore. Liam sat in front of her, his chubby little hands gripping the sides of the bright yellow kayak. He’d been mesmerized by the brightly colored dragonflies darting around them, which had helped him not be so leery of the ride.

Eli waved from Matt’s kayak. He’d grown in confidence under Matt’s careful influence. They all had, really. Last summer Callie wouldn’t have put her kids on the water like this, even with the bright orange life jackets they wore. But he’d helped her work to overcome her fears, which meant that, actually, they were all much happier.

“Okay, Liam, sit tight. I’m going to get out and pull the kayak up on the sand, then I’ll help you out, okay?” She dropped a kiss on his downy brown hair as he nodded.

“’Kay, Mommy.”

She climbed out and hauled the boat up on the sand. Matt was doing the same thing. They helped the kids out and Callie went back to fetch the small cooler she’d packed with a very basic lunch. When she turned around, Matt and the boys were huddled together. Her lips curved at the sight. Matt, in a navy Out There Adventures T-shirt and colorful swim trunks, looked good enough to eat. He caught her eye and sent her a wink, then stood up and herded the boys over.

“I’ve got lunch,” she said, then stopped and frowned at their very serious expressions. “What? Are we out of bug spray or sunblock? Is someone sick?”

A glimmer of a smile touched Matt’s face as Eli shook his head and answered for the group. “No. We need to ask you a question.”

Callie’s heart picked up. She gripped the cooler harder because her hands were starting to shake. “Is that so?”

Matt stepped forward, took the cooler from her and clasped her hands, his serious gaze never leaving hers. “Actually, I have a question.”

Behind him Eli and Liam were jumping up and down, and when Matt went down on one knee, Callie simply forgot to breathe.
Oh, my.

“I can’t imagine my life without you three,” he said solemnly, keeping his gaze on hers. But his face blurred as tears started to slip down her cheeks.

“Uh-oh,” Liam said, and Callie laughed as she swiped at them.

“Will you marry me, Callie Marie Marshall?” He stuck out a hand. “Guys?”

Eli slapped a box into his palm. “Say yes, Mom!” he said in a stage whisper, and Callie pressed her free hand to her mouth as Matt slid a single, perfect, princess-cut diamond onto her finger. She couldn’t even speak to question the wisdom of leaving a five-year-old in charge of the ring.

“Yes,” she managed to answer, laughing and crying. And as Matt got to his feet, she threw herself in his arms, while the boys cheered. “As soon as possible,” she whispered.

“That can be arranged,” he murmured just before he kissed her, tasting like sun and joy and the salt of her tears. Behind them, the cheers turned to gagging.

“They’re kissing again,” Eli said, disgust in his voice, and Callie pulled away with a laugh. Matt caught her gaze and smiled deep into her eyes.

“Are you sure you want to be a part of this?” she asked, laughing again as Eli and Liam joined them in a huge hug.

Matt pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, then pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes. “I can’t imagine anything better.”

As she stood there in the sun, with the three people she loved more than anything, her heart swelled. She tipped her face up to his, sure her joy was simply going to bubble over. “I can’t imagine it, either.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
Patchwork Family in the Outback
by Soraya Lane.

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Romance.

You adore a feel-good story!
Harlequin Romance
stories are all about real, relatable women and strong, deeply desirable men experiencing the intensity, anticipation and sheer rush of falling of love.

Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Romance every month!

Visit
Harlequin.com
to find your next great read.

We like you—why not like us on Facebook:
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

Follow us on Twitter:
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books:
HarlequinBlog.com

Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!

Harlequin.com/newsletters

ARE YOU OUR NEW TEACHER?

• Do you love children and like the idea of running a small country school?
  
• Do you want a fresh start in a welcoming rural town?
  
• Do you want to be a cherished part of our community?
  

Then come visit us in Bellaroo Creek! If you’re a dedicated teacher capable of running our small school, then we’d love to meet you. Rent a home for only $1 a week and help to save our school
and
our town.

CHAPTER ONE

P
OPPY
C
ARTER
STOOD
in the center of her new classroom and clasped her hands behind her back to stop them from shaking.
Had she taken on more than she could handle?

The desks were lined against the walls with chairs stacked on top of them, and the floor was clean and tidy, but it was the walls that were sending shivers down her spine. Where was the fun? Where were the bright colors that should adorn the room to welcome young pupils?

She sighed and walked to the main desk, pulling out the chair and sinking into it. Her problem was that she’d always been at schools with a half-decent budget, and she knew that this school was barely able to keep the doors open, let alone redecorate.

Poppy dropped her forehead to the desktop before resting her cheek against it instead and staring at the wall. She had a lot to do before tomorrow, and there was no way she was going to start her class in a room like t
his.

New beginnings, a fresh start and a bright future.
That’s why she’d come here, and she was determined to make that happen.

“Hello?”

Poppy sat bolt upright. Either she was hearing things in this spooky old room or there was someone else here.

“Hello?”

The deep male voice was closer this time. Before she could call back, it was followed by a body.
One that filled the entire doorway.

“Hi,” she said, glancing toward the closest window, planning her escape route in case she needed one.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The man smiled at her, one side of his mouth turning up as he nudged the tip of his hat and leaned into the room. “We’ve had a bit of trouble here lately and I wanted to make sure there weren’t any kids up to no good.”

Poppy swallowed and nodded. “I’m probably not meant to be here myself, but I wanted to have a good look around and see if there was anything that needed doing.”

Chocolate-brown eyes met hers, softer than before, and matched with a dimple when the man finally gave her a full smile. “I take it you’re the famous Ms. Carter, then?”

Poppy couldn’t help grinning back. “Take out the famous part and call me Poppy, and I’d say that’s me.”

He chuckled, removed his hat and stepped forward, hand extended. There was a gruffness about him that she guessed came with the territory of being a rancher, but up close he was even more handsome than he’d been from a distance. Strong, wide shoulders, a jaw that looked as if it had been carved from stone and the deepest dark brown eyes she’d ever seen....

Poppy cleared her throat and clasped his hand.

“Harrison Black,” he said, hand firm against hers. “My kids go to school here.”

Right.
So he was married with children. It didn’t explain his lack of a wedding band, but then plenty of ranchers probably never wore a ring, especially when they were working. But it did make her feel less nervous about being in the room with him.

“How many children do you have?” she asked.

The smile was back at the mention of his children. “Two. Kate and Alex. They’re out there in the truck.”

Poppy looked out the window, spotting his vehicle. “I’m just heading back to my place for some supplies, so how about I say hi to them?”

He shrugged, put his hat on his head and took a couple of steps backward. The heels of his boots were loud on the wooden floor, making her look up again. And when she did she wished she hadn’t, because
his
eyes had never left hers and a frown was hovering at the corners of his mouth.

Instead of acknowledging him she reached for her bag and slung it over her shoulder, and when she looked back he was already halfway to the door.

“Ms. Carter, what made you come here?”

She met his gaze, chin held high, not wanting to answer the man standing in front of her, but knowing it was a question she’d be asked countless times from the moment she started meeting locals—as soon as her pupils began flooding through the door, parents anxiously following them.

“I needed a change,” she told him honestly, even if she was omitting a large part of the truth. “When I saw the advertisements for Bellaroo, I figured it was time for me to take a chance.”

Harrison was still staring at her, but she broke the contact. Walked past him and down the short hall to the front door.

“And a new haircut or color wasn’t enough of a change?”

She spun on the spot, temper flaring. This man, this
Harrison
, didn’t know the first thing about her, but to suggest a haircut? Did she look like some floozy who just needed a new lipstick to make her problems go away?

“No,” she said, glaring at him, feet rooted to the spot. “I wanted to make a difference, and keeping this school open seemed pretty important to your community, unless I’ve been mistaken?”

His eyes gave away nothing, his broad shoulders squared and his body grew rigid. “There’s nothing more important to me than this school staying open. But if you don’t work out? If we’ve taken a chance on the wrong person? Then we don’t just lose a school, we’ll lose our entire town.” He sighed. “Forgive me if I don’t think you look like a woman who could go a week without hitting the shops or beauty salon.”

She let him pull the door shut and marched toward his vehicle, desperate to see his children. Right now they were the only things that could cool her down, and the last thing she wanted was to get into an argument with a rude, arrogant man who had no idea what kind of person she was or what she believed in. To even suggest... She swallowed and took a deep breath.

“I think you’ll find I know exactly how much this school means to Bellaroo Creek,” she said over her shoulder, in a voice as calm as she could manage. “And please don’t pretend you know me or anything about me. Do I make myself clear?”

She could have sworn a hint of a smile flashed across Harrison’s face, but she was too angry to care.

“Crystal clear,” he said, striding past her.

If she hadn’t known two little children were watching them from the truck, she would have poked her tongue out. But Poppy just kept walking, and sent up a silent prayer that she’d never have to talk to their father ever again.

* * *

Harrison knew he’d behaved badly. But honestly? He didn’t care. Speaking his mind to the teacher hadn’t exactly been his best move, but if she didn’t hang around, then their town was done for. He’d needed to say it now because if she changed her mind they’d have to find someone else
fast
. The future of Bellaroo Creek meant more to him than anything.
Because otherwise he’d lose everything he’d ever worked for, just to keep his children close.

He swung open the passenger door. “Kids, this is your new teacher.”

They looked out—all angelic blond hair and blue eyes. A constant reminder of their mother, and probably the only reason he didn’t still hate the woman.

“I’m Ms. Carter.” Harrison listened to the new teacher introduce herself, watching the anger disappear from her face as soon as she locked eyes on his children. “Your dad found me in the middle of planning your classroom.”

“Planning?” he asked.

She smiled and leaned against the open door, but he had a feeling her happy expression was for his children’s benefit, not his. “I can’t teach young children in a room that looks like the inside of a hospital,” she told him. “I don’t have long, but in the morning it’ll look deserving of kids.”

“You’re making it look better?”

Harrison grinned as his daughter spoke. She played the shy card for all of a minute with strangers, then couldn’t keep herself from talking.

“I want us to have fun, and that means putting a smile on your face from the second you walk through my door in the morning.”

So maybe she wasn’t so bad, b
ut it wasn’t exactly evidence that the teacher would hang around for the long haul. He’d had enough experience to know that an isolated rural town wasn’t exactly paradise for everyone, especially for a teacher expected to teach children of all ages.

“If you need a hand...” he found himself saying.

She smiled politely at him, but he could see the storm still brewing in her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Black, but I’m sure I can manage.”

He stared at her long and hard before walking around to the driver’s side. “I’ll look forward to seeing in the morning what you’ve done with the place.”

The teacher shut the passenger door and leaned in the window. “Your wife won’t be dropping the children off?”

Harrison gave her a cool smile. “No, it’ll be me.”

He watched as she straightened, a question crossing her face even though she never said anything.

“I’ll see you kids tomorrow,” she called out, walking backward.

Harrison touched his hat and pulled out into the road, glancing in the rearview mirror to see her standing there still, one hand holding her long hair back from her face, the other shielding her eyes from the sun.

She was pretty, he’d give her that, but there was no way she was going to stick it out here as their teacher. He could tell just from looking at her. And that meant he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do if she left.
Because staying in Bellaroo wasn’t going to be an option for him if the school closed down, nor any of the other families who loved this town as much as he did.

“Daddy, don’t you think we should help our teacher?”

Harrison sighed and glanced back at his daughter. “I think she’ll be fine, Katie,” he told her.

She sighed in turn. “It’s a pretty big classroom.”

Harrison stared straight ahead. The last thing he needed was to grow a conscience when it came to their new teacher, and he had errands to run for the rest of the afternoon. But maybe his daughter had a point. If he didn’t want her to up and leave, then maybe he needed to make more of an effort. They all did.

“We might go back later on and see what we can do. How does that sound?”

“Great!” Katie was elbowing her brother, as if they’d both somehow managed to pull the wool over his eyes. “We could take her dinner and help her do the walls.”

Harrison stayed silent. Helping Ms. Carter redecorate? Maybe. Taking her dinner?
Hell, no.

“Well, that’s settled then. I’ll go tell the children.”

Poppy turned and walked away, and Harrison sat on her bathroom floor and watched her go. There was something about her, something getting under his skin that he didn’t want to acknowledge. Something that had made him offer to fix her plumbing, made him say yes to dinner, all those things.

And it was something he didn’t want to figure out.

She was his children’s schoolteacher, a new woman in the community, but that was all. Because he wasn’t looking for anything other than friendship in his life. His kids meant everything to him, and getting involved with a woman wasn’t in his future.

So why was he still sitting on the floor so he could watch her walk down the hall?