The Forgotten Child

Chapter 16, The Forgotten Child

Chapter Sixteen

The soft lilt of Faith Hill singing Let Me Let Go, roused Emily from her sleep. Rolling over, she quickly flicked off the radio before kicking back the soft duvet. Emily was a morning person. But for some reason, this morning she could have yanked the quilt over her head and drifted back to sleep. She didn't, even though thoughts of crawling out into the morning chill curled her toes and wiped away the last of her fairytale dream—her knight swooping in on his white horse and carrying her away.

Emily pulled her robe on over her horsey flannel pajamas and crept into the bathroom for a quick shower. After her shower, Emily crept past Brad's closed door, tying her damp hair back in a ponytail, wearing her sneakers, blue jeans and a light red sweatshirt, and tiptoed downstairs. She cranked the heat up and listened to the furnace kick in. The floor creaked above her. Brad's up. She made coffee as she listened to the water run upstairs. Brad liked to grab a coffee on his way out the door to feed the animals.

Emily got busy making breakfast; oatmeal in a big pot on the stove. Then hurried to the back porch and pulled out a loaf of bread from one of two freezers for toast. Since Emily started cooking, Cliff and Mac appeared like shirttail relatives for every meal. Brad clomped down the stairs and Emily's palms began to sweat.

"Good morning, Em." Emily forced herself to look up into sleepy eyes that would be a dream to wake up to. Brad cleared his throat and Emily snapped out of her daze, blinking as her face tingled a little on the warm side. Emily looked down and snatched up the wooden spoon. Look somewhere else. Maybe she should've moved. Brad reached around her and took a mug from the cupboard, and then reached around her other side for the pot of coffee that'd just finished brewing. "Can I pour you one?"

Damn, why'd he have to smell so good? He hovered right in her space and her dratted tongue refused to move. Answer the man. "Yes."

He didn't move, and when she looked up, he winked. And, curse it all, she was blushing. She couldn't shake the feeling of roses, candlelight and good man to cuddle up with. That was the effect this man had on her. Did he know? Maybe that's why he appeared so amused. Grabbing hold of her senses, she poked him in the ribs to break the spell he cast over her. "Where's my coffee?"

Brad didn't reply. He grinned in a sexy way, showing off his chipped front tooth, which on anyone else would have tarnished their appeal, but not on Brad. On him, it added a sense of mystery, making you want to get know everything about him. Brad broke the spell when he grabbed another mug. "Did you sleep okay?" How could any woman ever walk away from the deep velvety caress of his voice?

"Yes, I did. I realized this morning, Katy's been sleeping through the night since we've been here. Since being in this house, not once has she woken up in the night."

"Katy wake up a lot in the night?"

"Uh-huh, ever since she was born. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I wasn't awakened in the night." Brad didn't move. She'd have to duck under his arm to get past him.

"You have beautiful eyes, Em."

Caught off guard, heat filled Emily's face, and this time, he turned away looking like he was having fun. "I need to feed the cattle." He didn't stop until he reached the door. He paused long enough to down the rest of his coffee, drop the mug on a shelf, grab his coat and stride out the door.

What the hell was that?