Page 20 of A Hunter Turned
“The really dark one next to Marshmallow is Pudding, and the other one is Taffy.”
Swallowing hard, Jamie squeaked, “And Marshmallow does tricks?”
Archer nodded before retrieving a bag of the alligator’s namesake and pulled one of the puffy sweets out.
“You’re not thinking of luring her closer, are you?” Her voice sounded shrill, a bit panic-stricken, and Cady patted her hand in reassurance. Great. A four-year-old was braver than she was.
That thought was quickly followed by the loud bang of a screen door slamming that made Jamie jump and a raised voice with a heavy southern drawl, called out, “Archer Langley, I know you’re not feeding my babies junk food.”
Chapter Thirteen
Archer suddenly looked like a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar, his expression decidedly sheepish as he glanced up at the old woman who was thumping her cane and shooing her ‘babies’ off the front porch.
Jamie watched as the alligators slowly ambled across the wooden planks and slid into the water. She took a moment more to watch the ripples, noted with no small amount of relief that they were heading away from their boat before she turned her attention to the diminutive woman that considered the reptiles her pets.
Aunty Nedra was a sight. Her skin was a soft brown, wrinkled with age, a pair of half-glasses connected to a chain that was looped around her neck was perched low on her nose and she squinted – or glared – over the top at each of them. The hair on her head, if she had any, was completely concealed by a lime green turban. Large, teardrop pearls were clipped to her earlobes and bobbed as the woman moved her head in a shake of disappointment. The loose-knit cardigan she wore over a vivid yellow scoop-neck top, was candy-apple red, too big for her frame, and had what looked like a large TV remote poking out of one pocket, and a cordless phone in the other. Tissues created bunches under each of the cuffed sleeves at her wrists and were sprouting like little white flags as they attempted to escape. Powder blue, elastic waist pants were pulled up nearly to her chest, and white soft-soled shoes like nurses wore finished off the colorful ensemble.
“Well, you’ve already interrupted my programs, you might as well come in and keep this old lady company.”
Nedra didn’t wait for an answer, just turned back to the door, raised her arm, and flicked her fingers in a summoning gesture as she moved inside with the help of her cane.
“Guess we’ll be visiting after all,” Archer said with a smile as Cady bounced in her seat once more.
The little girl turned excitedly to Jamie. “You didn’t get to see Marshmallow’s trick but now you’ll get to meet Rueben.”
“Rueben?” she asked suspiciously. After witnessing the size and leashed ferocity of Nedra’s other pets, she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet anymore. “He wouldn’t happen to be a cute little puppy or a fluffy kitty, would he?”
Cady giggled, “No, Rueben’s a…” she trailed off, her face scrunching adorably before she turned to look at Archer who was tying the boat up to the dock. “What’s Rueben again, Daddy?”
Archer’s eyes went straight to Jamie and he winked, his grin sly. “An albino Burmese python.”
Jamie swallowed hard. Of course it would be another reptile. Cady was nodding vigorously, her excitement palpable and Jamie looked at the little girl with some awe. “Alligators and snakes? You’re like a fearless warrior princess. Aren’t you?”
Another nod accompanied a look of determination. “Daddy says a girl can be brave and strong and still like pink.”
“That’s right, princess,” Archer said, holding out his hand to help them out of the boat. “You don’t need to choose. You can have it all.”
Whispering into Cady’s ear so that Archer didn’t hear, Jamie admitted, “Your dad is a smart man and he’s absolutely right.”
Despite her best efforts to keep the words just between her and Cady, Archer had obviously heard, his grin widening and looking slightly smug. Jamie’s first instinct was to scoff and remind him that a few good traits where his daughter was concerned didn’t outweigh the bad, but little ears might overhear and she didn’t want to upset Cady, who saw her dad as a hero who could do no wrong. So, Jamie swallowed the urge but mentally promised herself she’d save her complaints for later when she and Archer were alone.
The thought of them alone, however, sent a thrilling rush of anticipation through her bloodstream that was distracting, and her toe caught on the edge of the dock as she attempted to exit the boat. Her stomach dropped as her body pitched forward, wooden planks seemed to zoom toward her face, but she didn’t go splat. Strong arms were suddenly around her, pulling her into a warm, equally strong chest with a thudding heartbeat. Her breath left her in a rush, her own heartbeat pounding like it was going to burst straight out of her ribcage and she had the sudden absurd notion to nuzzle her face into all that heat.
“Are you okay?”
Looking up to meet that concerned, storm-gray gaze was a mistake. She licked her lips, her eyes dropping to his mouth as she wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by this man before she shook off the thought. Nodding, she quickly pushed herself away from him. “I’ve got it. I’m good.”
Archer nodded, had seemed to believe her, but as Jamie walked up the short dock to the porch, shaken and slightly breathless, she knew the words had been a lie. She wasn’t good. Somehow, over the past few days, she’d ended up wanting Archer Langley, and wasn’t that the most foolish notion she’d ever had?
Archer closed his eyes for a moment as Cady, hand-in-hand with Jamie and chattering away, walked up to the house. He needed to get himself under control. He’d only held her for a moment, less than a minute really, but the feeling had been so right, and when she’d glanced at his lips, her pupils dilated with a desire he never thought he’d see in the vampire, all the blood in his body had rushed south, hardening him until the front of his jeans were uncomfortably snug.
With gritted teeth, he forced himself not to run after Jamie, pull her back into his arms, and deliver the kiss that her eyes had told him she had been yearning for. It was a temporary madness on both their parts, he was sure, and by the look of her easy smile as she said something to Cady, for her, it had already passed. Not to mention the questions from his daughter such a display would incite.
“Daddy? Are you coming?”
Rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck to loosen his tense muscles, Archer sent a reassuring smile to his daughter. “Right behind you.” Then, taking a quick glance down the front of himself to make sure his lunacy wasn’t on full display, he grabbed up the bag of food Jamie had prepared and strode up to the house to join them.
Visiting Nedra was always uncomfortable for him. Not that he didn’t like the woman, but her house was tiny. It wouldn’t be so bad if she’d let him come and knock out some walls, raise the roof, opening the space up, but Nedra seemed to like her little rabbit warren home of claustrophobia-inducing rooms and low ceilings that put someone of Archer’s height in danger of decapitation by a ceiling fan.
