Kate Kelly - A Deliberate Father

Lacey nodded, her eyes glued to Tanner’s chest. “Is he naked, Nell?”

Nell choked back a laugh as red stained Tanner’s cheeks. “No, sweetpea. Naked is when you’re not wearing anything. Like when you get out of the bath.” Or make love. She felt her own cheeks flush at the thought.

She ruffled Lacey’s hair. “Okay, backyard for you, little one, while I see what I can do about the water.”

“Hang on. Let me grab a shirt and some shoes. I wanted to look at the basement today, anyway.”

Nell fidgeted as she waited for Tanner to get dressed. She hoped he was more interested in looking around the basement than helping her, because it was a tight squeeze in the corner where the pump was. And a tight squeeze was exactly what she needed to avoid when it came to her landlord. She had a long list of reasons for keeping him at a distance, and right at the top were the children and not giving Tony any reason to interfere with the adoption. It would be just like the rat to send a couple of his friends to sniff around her life to see if they could find any weakness.

When Tony had first gone to jail he’d been so full of remorse for killing Mary, he’d signed over legal guardianship of the children to Nell. But with his first chance for parole coming up, he was looking for ways to get them back. Nell had no illusions as to why Tony wanted Jacob and Lacey. He thought he had a better chance for parole if he could say they were waiting for their daddy. Even though drinking with his buddies had always held more interest for him than spending time with his kids. To top it off, he was a mean drunk. Despite the warm morning air, Nell shivered. Rescuing Mary and the kids when Tony was on the rampage had increased in frequency the last year of her sister’s life.

But when Mary had sworn things were going better with her marriage, Nell let herself be convinced and had agreed to go away for that long-delayed weekend with her boyfriend, Barry. She hadn’t been there when Mary needed her the most, and her sister had died. Nell intended to make up for that mistake until her last breath, but she still didn’t think it would be enough.

Strike two. It had happened before. People she loved had died because she’d let them down. It was never going to happen again.

She stuck her hands in her pockets and rolled back on her heels. Her life was one big complicated mess. And getting worse by the minute.

Tanner strode out of his apartment at the same time Jacob returned with the milk. His “Thanks, man,” earned him a big grin from her little boy.

Jacob hitched up his jeans. “Need any help, Nell?”

Her heart softened at his manly offer. “I’ll manage. Thanks. Can you keep an eye on Lacey for a few minutes?”

“Sure thing. See ya, Mr. Tanner.”

“Jacob?” Jacob turned back to Tanner.

“Yeah?”

“Call me Jordan, okay, pal?”

If his grin got any wider, Jacob’s face would split. “Sure thing, Mr.—Jordan.”

Nell watched with envy as the two males exchanged a look. She’d spent the past two years trying to coax Jacob out of his shell. She knew he loved her and had learned to trust her, but what had just passed between Jordan and Jacob was different. Obviously, she hadn’t been born with the right equipment to earn that kind of connection. While it wasn’t fair, it was also worrisome. Tanner was looking to make a fast buck, not lifelong friends.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Wearing a white T-shirt that clung to well-defined muscles, Tanner smiled down at her. Hard to tell the man made a living behind a desk. Why couldn’t he have been fat and balding? Have bad teeth, bad breath? Anything. He was too perfect for his own good.

Nell sighed in defeat, led the way to the front door of the house and pulled a key ring from her pockets.

“The house has its own well,” she explained as she unlocked the door. “We’re just outside village limits. If the tenants take everyone’s needs into consideration, it works out okay.” She switched on the basement light and started down the stairs, Tanner so close on her heels, she felt heat from his body.

“What does that mean?”

“It means if you want to do laundry, it’s better to wait until the middle of the day when most of us are gone.”

“Let me guess, Mrs. Trembley.”

Oh, no, she wasn’t giving Tanner any ammo to evict the old gal. Mrs. T. barely got by as it was. She’d never find another apartment for four hundred a month. Ignoring him as best she could, Nell switched on the light in the dark corner where the pump was installed.

“This will only take a minute. Why don’t you look around? The foundation’s not bad for being over a hundred years old.”

“I want to see what you’re doing in case I ever have to fix the pump.”

Nell swore under her breath as he crowded in after her. “You open this valve and let the air escape for a few minutes. Once the water starts coming out, you close the valve and hope there’s enough in the well to bring the pressure up.”

Tanner stood at least a foot above her, his broad shoulders blocking most of the light. If he’d been anyone else, she’d have elbowed him to get him to back off. But he was her landlord and part-time employer. And yeah, his heat warmed her in places she’d been cold for what felt like forever. He smelled good, too. Damn it.

She closed the valve when the water spurted into the bucket she’d left the last time she’d had trouble. “Okay, show’s over. Can you back up? I’m suffocating in here.”

In the dim light she saw him grin. “Is that what you call it?”

She followed as he squeezed out of the narrow space, tension stiffening her spine. She needed to set Tanner straight right now. She took care of the building. That was it. Being the landlord did not come with fringe benefits. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got kids. I can’t afford to fool around.”

His gray eyes darkened, his gaze straying to her midsection and staying there. She tried not to squirm as heat coiled in her belly. She was wearing overalls, for heaven’s sake. Overalls. Was the man sex deprived?

“I didn’t figure you for a coward.” As his voice slid over her, she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. They were so not going to happen.

“Listen, Tanner. You seem like a nice man, but you’re not getting it. Jacob and Lacey have had a rough life. I know you’re not planning on being around for long, and I’m asking you to not get too close to them. Or me. You’ll only end up hurting them if you do.”

JORDAN’S HEAD JERKED BACK as if she’d slapped him. Man, Miss Nellie didn’t believe in dressing up her message. Which could be an asset in certain situations. But not when he’d been about to make a move on her. First it was the glimpses of her smooth, flat belly that had him salivating, then he’d fixated on her ears. They were tiny and pink and damned near perfect. He wanted to explore…everything about her. She fascinated him.

Thank goodness one of them was thinking straight. She had kids. Period. He was out of here as soon as the house sold, and he wasn’t looking for a ready-made family. Not that Lacey and Jacob weren’t nice kids. Having only known them a day, it surprised him how often they popped into his head. He thought about their mother more, especially about what she wore under her overalls. Each time he caught himself thinking about Nell, he tried to turn it off, but there was something about her that made him a little crazy. He needed to get his priorities straight; he’d never had trouble focusing on his goals before. He’d clawed his way out of his childhood, and he planned to keep on climbing until…well, he’d know when he’d arrived.

Jordan put his hands up in surrender. “Message coming through loud and clear. You’re right. They’re good kids, and I don’t want to hurt them. Or you.”