Page 27 of Stolen Hearts

Chapter Six

The scratch of Rhae’s pen on the notepad filled the office, punctuated by the occasional gurgle or thump of a tiny body moving across the floor nearby.

Her gaze flicked between the observations she was writing about the last client to where Navy rolled on her stomach. The baby pushed onto her hands and knees and took off quickly toward a stuffed lion, her favorite toy.

She latched on to its ratty tail and dragged it over to her. When she rolled into a sitting position and flapped the lion, a smile crossed Rhae’s face.

The baby was always active at this time of morning after waking from her morning nap, half of which she took in Kyle’s arms as he fed her a bottle.

With Navy occupied, she returned to her notes. Kyle made steps forward and back all the time, but the past few weeks, she’d noted a trend toward progress. He was getting more involved around the ranch and finding a support system in the other guys he worked with. She was really pleased with his progress.

She turned to filling out a form the program needed for funding, but it was difficult to concentrate on the mundane document with a bubbly bundle of joy that kept drawing her attention.

A knock sounded, and before she could respond, the door opened. Denver stepped inside. For a moment, he paused in a pool of sunlight slanting through the window, and Rhae’s breath caught.

Every rugged line of his body was highlighted by the sunlight, from the sharpness in his eyes to the angle of his jaw, all the way down his carved body to the toes of his dusty cowboy boots.

Her lower belly clenched at the memory of what that machine of a body did to her.

Then her gaze roamed back to his shoulders, taut with the weight of something unspoken that he carried with him since the first time he ever stepped into her office years ago, in another office in another part of the world. Then, he had just come out of the hospital following a head injury.

Her stare moved over his face as if she could see his reason for leaving his SEAL team etched there. But she only made out the faint lines of fatigue around each gray eye.

He closed the door. “Hey.” His gaze traveled to Navy, who gave a delighted squeal and slapped the floor with her chubby palms.

He swayed his gaze back to Rhae. “It’s almost lunch.”

“Yes. You planning on stealing me away to the cafeteria? I think it’s chili day.”

His lips quirked at one corner. “Probably.” Instead of moving toward her, he crossed the room to Navy.

Used to receiving all the attention every time the office door opened, Navy looked up at him, interest in her eyes as she watched her daddy sink to the floor in front of her.

Rhae’s throat tightened as she looked on, pen and paper forgotten.

“Hi, Navy. What’s this?” He picked up the lion and held it in front of her. She reached for it. A deep rumble that came up from her belly burst from her as she mimicked the lion’s roar.

Denver laughed, looking at Rhae. “You teach her that?”

She nodded. “She loves animals and picks up all the sounds quick. The only one I’m stumped about is the turtle.”

He huffed with amusement and handed the baby her lion.

Rhae leaned back in her seat, arms wrapped around herself, watching without interruption. He needed this time with Navy in an even bigger way than the other guys did.

Navy tossed the lion, and he caught it out of the air, raising a giggle from the baby. Denver’s smile echoed the simple joy they gained from being with each other.

He threw it back to her, and she squealed, scooping it up. The dimple popping in her cheek matched the one in his.

They played this game for a few minutes, tossing the lion around. Finally, he cupped the baby’s head in one broad hand. Navy blinked up at him in awe.

Denver began to speak, voice low and rough. “You know, Navy, I used to think I knew what mattered in my life. My team, my mission. I had purpose.”

Being the therapy baby made Navy quiet and alert whenever one of the men started talking to her like this. She stilled, listening to the lull of her father’s voice.

“But then I got hurt.”

Rhae held her breath, listening, searching his body for signs of injury. If he had suffered some physical injury, she would have seen it last night when they were intimate. The scar she’d felt on his back was healed.

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