Page 11 of The Cowboy Contract
Leland groaned. “Tomorrow morning.”
Paige widened her eyes. “How are you going to manage that?”
What the fuck was Beverly thinking asking him to watch her kids the night before he had a morning shift? Was she crazy?
Leland’s broad shoulders lifted and fell on a shrug. “Bev promised she’d be back in time for me to get home and get a shower before I went in.”
“She freaking better be.” Leland worked harder than just about anyone else she knew. The poor man would do anything for the people he loved. Including making himself miserably exhausted for their benefit.
“Come on.” Paige grabbed his hand, dragging Leland toward the stairs. “I’ll stay and get up with the kids since I don’t have to be at work until tomorrow afternoon.” Afternoon was a little bit of a stretch since she was normally at The Creekery by eleven thirty, but it was still better than Leland’s seven AM start time.
“You don’t have to do that,” Leland argued, but continued allowing her to lead him. “I just needed another set of hands when Will was losing his shit and Rosemary wouldn’t stop jabbing at me with that tiny little finger she’s got.”
Paige reached the top of the stairs, grinning in spite of herself at Rosemary’s antics. “I will help you juggle kids any time.”
Leland suddenly stopped. The weight of his still form, combined with her forward momentum, made her body ricochet, stumbling around in an attempt to keep her balance until her back collided with his front. Leland’s arm banded around her, his hand spreading across her belly.
She and Leland touched all the time. They hugged. They cuddled. Teased each other with silly pushes and shoves of amusement.
But this was different.
In the dark and quiet of the upstairs hall, her whole body went still at the solid press of him against her. She couldn’t move
Not that she really wanted to.
Her sudden case of paralysis only intensified when Leland’s free hand palmed her hip, fingers pressing into her flesh as he leaned close, his voice a deep rumble in her ear. “Promise?”
She’d made him promises before—one in particular he didn’t seem in a rush to hold her to—but she was still ready and willing to offer him more. Paige managed to get her muscles working again and tipped her head to the side until their eyes met. She nodded. “Promise.”
Her heart skipped a beat when Leland’s eyes dipped to her mouth, lingering. “Paige, I?—”
“What are you guys doing?”
Rosemary’s little voice cut through the fog of Leland clouding her brain. Paige blinked a few times, eyes swinging around the darkened hall as she tried to figure out where in the heck his little niece was watching them from. Her gaze finally landed onthe shadowy shape of a small body sprawled across the floor a few feet in front of them.
“I feel like you’re supposed to be in bed.” Leland’s voice held a hint of annoyance. “You’re lucky we didn’t stomp on you.”
“But my bed was hot.” Rosemary flailed around a little, almost like she was trying to make a snow angel on the rug beneath her. “Mommy and Daddy let me sleep in their bed when I’m hot.”
Leland’s hands slowly fell away from her body as a sigh escaped his lips. “First off, I know that’s a bald-faced lie.” He stepped around her, moving toward his niece. “And second, even if it wasn’t, you’re not sleeping with me because I don’t trust you to keep your bony little elbows to yourself.” He hefted Rosemary up from the floor, tossing her over one broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes before carrying her back into her bedroom.
Once they were out of sight, Paige slumped against the wall. She wanted so much to read into the moment they shared before Rosemary had to ruin everything. But there had been countless similar interactions over the years, and not a single one of them went anywhere.
Which means it was pretty likely that one wouldn’t have either.
With a sigh, Paige pushed off the wall and crept into Will’s room, making sure he wasn’t going to be their next problem. Thankfully, his gigantic poop seemed to have tuckered him out, and he was fast asleep in his crib. She lingered, letting herself wonder—just for a minute—what it would be like if it was her baby she was checking on. Her child Leland was tucking in.
“At least one of them is sleeping well.”
Her spine stiffened at the low timber of Leland’s voice. He must’ve been moving like a freaking ninja, because his big body was already crowding hers, so close they were almost touching as he leaned against the rails of the crib, one hand gripping the wood at each side of her body.
“Hopefully he stays asleep.” She swallowed hard as Leland stepped away, taking his warmth with him.
But instead of separating completely, he reached for her, taking her hand in his. Lacing their fingers together, he did to her what she’d done to him downstairs, giving a little tug as he directed her out into the hallway.
She went quietly, not wanting to wake Will up, but as soon as they were in the hall, she whispered, “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to the same place you were taking us earlier.” Leland led her into Beverly’s bedroom, cutting a path through the dark as he headed straight for the king size bed. “We’re going to lay down and try to get at least a little sleep before one of those turds wakes us up.”
