Page 103 of Chasing Dreams
He’d been shutting out people and tuning out feelings for so many years, it would take a lot more than a determined woman on his doorstep to crack his protective barrier and get him to place himself at risk.
It would take...
Love.
He wouldn’t come to her. He couldn’t She understood it and she understood why. If she had the power, she was going to see to it that her dream of Austin as a lonely, haunted man didn’t come true. And at the same time see another dream turn to reality.
“Jack?”
“Hmm?”
“You liked the big airplane, didn’t you?”
He nodded and waved his arm above his head. “I fwied in the big airpwane.”
“Would you like to fly in an airplane again?”
His blond head nodded.
She picked up their plates, already planning. “We’re going to take a trip.”
* *
Austin stared at the array of colorful fish in his aquarium. He wished she could see them. It had never bothered him before that he was the only one to enjoy his mountain home and all the things in it. He’d always been alone.
But he’d never been lonely.
Until now. Until Shaine Richards had impressed her image on his brain and his body and his home. He could see her everywhere. He could smell her in the shower, hear her in the kitchen, feel her beside him at night. She’d become a ruthless attack on his senses.
He’d always been an outsider. But he’d never resented the cruel sentence of his unearthly uniqueness until now. If, for even a short time, he could be like any other man, he would leave the confines of this place and go to her.
He’d thought of it many times.
He’d dreamed of it many times.
But he’d tried living like other people. And he knew he couldn’t. His place was here.
Austin tugged his gaze from the mesmerizing fish and ambled back to his desk. He’d only gotten a couple of good hours of work accomplished this day, but he’d wait until later and try again. He needed his run and his workout to get him in sync.
The music transported him while he used the weights. He slipped into sweats, grabbed a stocking cap and took off through the woods, Daisy at his heels.
Daisy deserted him sometime later, but she often chased a rabbit or a squirrel, so he didn’t take the abandonment personally.
The sky hung heavy and gray, a sure sign of threatening weather, though the temperature seemed oddly warm.
He returned by his usual route, breaking into the clearing and slowing as he approached the house. He opened the door and stared at Daisy in confusion. How had the dog gotten in?
His gaze traveled to a familiar battered suitcase against the wall, the sight piercing him with a covert thrill he quickly tamped down. The smell of cooking stabbed him with bewilderment.
He tugged off his cap and hooded sweatshirt, unconsciously running a hand through his hair.
A familiar blond-haired boy sat between the two sofas, running trucks along the floor and making accompanying noises. A delightful rush of warmth spread through Austin at the sight of the child.
Austin turned to the kitchen, and she stood on the other side of the divider, a hesitant smile on her flushed face. “We let ourselves in,” she said. “I knew where you were. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No—of course not,” he choked out.
“I’d have felt pretty silly, if you’d have had someone else here,” she said.
