Kit’s hands moved to her upper arms. He squeezed them before letting her go. Natalie wished he hadn’t touched her. “He’ll be happy to come when this nightmare is over.”
“I’m so glad you remembered.” She moved past him and returned to the living room. Amy saw her and raised her hands. “Mik.”
Kit was right behind her. “Milk,” he said back. “That was almost perfect, Amy.”
“As you’ve noticed, L’s and H’s are hard for her.” Natalie handed her the cup and sat on the floor next to her. Her pulse raced when Kit stretched out on the floor, too. His hard, lean body was too close.
With one hand propping up his head, he teased Amy by taking her animals away one at a time. When she grabbed one from him, he reached for another. They played back and forth until he had her giggling uncontrollably and she dropped the cup she’d been holding.
“I don’t believe my daughter has ever had this much fun.”
When he flicked his gaze to her, his eyes danced. “I haven’t, either. I know we planned to distance ourselves, but circumstances have thrown us together again and I find this little cherub to be excellent company.”
“If she could say the words, she’d tell you the same thing.” Natalie was starting to feel emotional. “Kit—thank you for getting us out of harm’s way. Your whole life has been upended because of me.”
He grasped the hand closest to him and kissed her palm. The action was so intimate she could hardly breathe. “I like being upended. These are the perks of being a Ranger. You never know what your next case will bring.
“When I went to the cemetery to take pictures, I didn’t like the fact that I was attracted to you even before we’d met. I knew you were a person of interest to the police, but I found myself not wanting you to be guilty of a crime. Someone else should have worked this case instead of me, but the pull you had on me overruled my good sense. When I told the boss my plan, he had reservations about it, but he didn’t try to stop me.”
She averted her eyes. “I’m afraid my good sense failed me when you gave me the choice between having the surveillance team watching me or having you guard me yourself. I liked the idea of my cousin Todd visiting me for the week. But I was thinking selfishly and didn’t consider that Amy could be affected.”
“She may be little, but she exudes her own personality.”
“She definitely does. You asked me if I thought she’d be disturbed to see a strange man in the house. I didn’t have to think about it because...because I sensed the goodness in you. So did she.”
He reached for Amy and held her in the air while he was on his back. “Do you want to swim?” He moved her like she was a fish.
“Swim!” she echoed, loving this new game.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Swim, swim.”
When he put her down, she protested.
“Do you want to swim again?”
“Swim gain.”
“Did you hear that, Mommy? She said she wants to swim again. She’s speaking in sentences. I knew you were a smart girl.” He moved her around some more, dipping her near Natalie several times. The giggling continued.
By now Natalie was laughing along with Kit. She couldn’t imagine heaven being more wonderful than this. Make it last, her heart cried. But of course it couldn’t because he’d be leaving when it got dark to face a known killer.
Forcing herself to bring things to an end she said, “It’s time for your dinner, Amy. I bet you’re hungry after that workout. Let’s get your diaper changed first.” She got up from the floor and reached for her daughter. The bathroom counter would be a good place for that.
“’Bye, Amy,” Kit said, still lying down.
“Bye-bye.”
Natalie took her into the bathroom. She put a towel down then reached into the diaper bag for a Pamper. Soon her daughter was ready. She carried her to the kitchen and put her in the high chair. After washing her hands, she reached for a jar of noodles and turkey and selected peaches for dessert.
Kit came in a few minutes later. “Feel like breakfast for dinner?”
“Always,” she answered.
“I make a Texas omelet almost as good as your brownies. Even my mom says they’re better than hers.”
“That’s because you learned from her.”
“Yup. It’s about the only thing I cooked that I didn’t ruin.”