Luke Read online

  “Well, you know, I don’t treat bears very often, but I do know a thing or two about them, and I think she just needs some stitches. What’s her name?”

  “Bubbles.”

  “Can I?” I asked, reaching for the bear, but not taking it.

  Ella nodded, offering the stuffed animal to me.

  “Hi Bubbles,” I said, petting her head softly. “I’m Dr. Luke. I see you’ve got a bit of a boo-boo here, but I can make you all better.”

  “Really?” Ella asked.

  I nodded. “Where’s your mom? I’ll bet she’s got a sewing kit around here somewhere.”

  Ella immediately pointed over my shoulder and I turned to see Claire, arms full, just watching us. She was standing in front of an open stock room door, and as soon as I turned to see her, her face went bright red and she bustled over to the front counter like she hadn’t just been hanging around watching.

  I jumped to my feet, still holding Bubbles the bear, and waved at her. “Hi,” I said, nearly breathless. She was even more beautiful here today, relaxed, in her element, not fraught with worry over her daughter’s illness.

  “Hi,” she said back, dropping the boxes on the counter.

  And then for a long moment, we both just stood there staring at each other, the heat and tension between us a palpable feeling in the air. Her eyes roved over me in a hungry way that had my bear growling and my cock growing harder, and the flush in her cheeks told me I wasn’t the only one affected by whatever weird chemistry was between us.

  “Mom, do you have a suing kit?” Ella chirped in, shattering the moment.

  Claire’s face screwed up into confusion and I laughed.

  “A sewing kit. I was going to give Bubbles here some stitches.”

  “Oh,” Claire said, a little smile crossing her face. “I told you I’d fix her when we got home, sweetie. You don’t need to bother Dr. Bradford with it.”

  “It’s no trouble, really. I’ve got lots of practice with stitches.”

  Claire looks uncertain but then shrugs, heading behind the counter to dig around. “If you’re sure…”

  “I am,” I said firmly.

  She handed me the basic sewing kit and turned back to her work unpacking the boxes. I crouched back down at Ella’s table, eventually deciding I needed to be on my knees to work at it instead of trying to fold my long legs up into a chair meant for a child.

  While I worked on the bear, I explained to Bubbles — and by extension Ella — what I was doing and how it wouldn’t hurt because I’m a very good doctor. Claire didn’t say anything while I stitched up the bear, but I could hear the sounds of her working in the background and occasionally I would chance a glance over at her and catch her looking my way.

  I couldn’t say what it was about that interaction, but it felt natural and easy. So domestic it made me ache.

  And that was foreign. I’d always enjoyed being single. I expected to always be single until the day the curse claimed me. But suddenly, I was having daydreams about a house with a wife and tiny feet running around. Fantasizing about enjoying this kind of comfortable silence while we both did our respective work.

  And the fact that talking to Ella and making her laugh made me feel so good, so worthwhile, certainly didn’t hurt. I’d never given any thought to being a dad before, but with her, this kind of stuff felt so natural it was hard to remember she wasn’t my kid.

  “There, good as new,” I said, handing Bubbles back to Ella. “If you’ve got really cool band-aids, she’d probably like one to protect the stitches.”

  Ella’s eyes darted over to the counter, but Claire was laughing, already holding out a box of band-aids with mermaids on them.

  “So,” Claire said, breaking into the moment once Ella was fixing a band-aid on her bear. “I assume you didn’t just drop in today to fix my daughter’s stuffed animal?”

  I froze, momentarily forgetting the entire story I’d come up with for her.

  “Uh… No. Actually…” I had to think fast. “I needed a gift for my brother and his wife. They’re about to have a baby, so I figure I’ll need something to give them when the time comes.”

  She nodded, smirking as she turned. “Come on, I have some things you might like to see.”

  I followed her up the stairs, admiring the way her jeans hugged her hips and her amazing ass the whole climb. I hadn’t really paid much attention to her body before, being too worried about reassuring her and keeping my bear at bay at the same time, but now that I only had to focus on one of those things, I took the time to appreciate the view.

  “So, is this for the brother I met yesterday?” she asked, and it took me a minute to remember what she was talking about.

  “Oh, yes. Aiden. I forgot you saw him yesterday. He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?”

  She giggled and the sound made my heart skip a beat. “No, of course not. Though I still haven’t figured out how I’m supposed to pay you for any of this.”

  “Maybe we can make a trade,” I said, gesturing around the room.

  She turned, giving me a searching look, but then nodded. “Maybe.”

  “So, tell me a little about your brother and his wife, maybe that will help me know what you’re looking for.”

  Crap. I hadn’t really thought this far ahead. “Well, Aiden’s a pain in my ass. Molly’s nice enough, but she’s got a penchant for gossip that I don’t appreciate.”

  Claire raised an eyebrow at me, still smirking, and I sighed.

  “That’s not really helpful, is it?”

  “Interesting, but not particularly helpful, no.”

  “I think they like… traditional things? Warm wood and stuff.”

  Claire laughed, shaking her head. “Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

  “Sorry,” I said sheepishly. But I didn’t want to talk about myself. I wanted to know more about her.

  “You’ve had a kid, what kind of stuff would you have liked?”

  She shrugged. “Honestly? Someone to help change diapers.”

  I bristled. That was the second time she’d mentioned Ella’s dad off-hand and my opinion of the man wasn’t improving any.

  “What about her dad?” I knew it was pushing. I knew it was invasive to ask, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to know everything about this woman. And I wanted to know what I was up against.

  “He’s his own special brand of terrible. But we’re not shopping for me. How about this rustic hand-carved changing table? It’s from the pioneer era. There are pine trees carved into the legs and a cute little family of bears here on the front.”

  I had to hold back my chuckle. What was it today with bears being everywhere? It was like my bear was trying to remind me that he was still in there, still growling for his chance at Claire.

  “You know what? I think that’s actually perfect. How much?”

  She gave me a hard look, her lips pressed together. “I thought we were doing a trade?”

  “Oh, you thought I meant with furniture?” Now was my only shot. I couldn’t screw this up. “I was hoping you’d come to dinner with me.”

  Her eyes went wide and I could see the refusal on her lips before it even came. “Oh, I couldn’t… I—”

  “Why not?”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip thoughtfully, her eyes darting toward the front of the store.

  “If it’s about Ella, bring her along,” I said, thinking on my feet as fast as I could. “My brothers are having a barbeque this weekend. Family affair, all ages welcome. She’ll have a blast. No pressure.”

  Claire’s breath caught and I was sure she was going to deny me anyway, but then she blew out a heavy breath and nodded. “Okay.”

  Eight

  Claire

  The moment the word was out of my mouth, I wondered what the hell I was thinking. Did I really just agree to a date with Luke? Or was it even a date? He asked me to some family barbeque thing which sounded way more serious than a simple date, but also somehow more casual?r />
  And the fact that he said I could bring Ella along… I mean, what kind of guy was that thoughtful? Unless he really just didn’t want me to say no.

  Which only made me feel more flattered that this incredibly sexy, skilled man wanted to spend time with me. The whole way down the stairs, I was filled with this warm glow that just wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t stop smiling and I’m sure I looked like an idiot. I was sure he’d take one look at my face and decide that he had changed his mind and actually didn’t want me to go.

  Though, to be honest, that might be for the best. It’s not like I had a great track record with guys. My last relationship was with Chuck and well… it was pretty obvious how terribly that whole thing went. Not to mention that I didn’t really have the time for dating. I had Ella to watch and the store to manage, and as helpful as Aaron was with running things part-time for me, he just operated the store. He didn’t do the books or make purchases, or pay the bills. He was just a counter guy. So all the free time I had, I needed, and I just didn’t see where dating fit into that equation.

  But he’d asked me out and I said yes. There was no going back now. I could cancel, I guessed, but that seemed rude. Especially since it was my first prospect in four years. Who knew if I’d ever have another. I needed to take advantage of it now while I could.

  “So, how much for the changing table?”

  I shook my head. “You really don’t have to. I’m happy to make the trade.”

  “Claire,” he said, his voice hard and soft all at the same time. It sent shivers straight to my toes and I had to clamp my legs together against the delicious thrill of arousal slipping through my veins like silk. Jesus, just my name on his lips was enough to turn me on. Yeah, I really needed to take advantage of this while I could. “How much?”

  I sighed. “Two-fifty.”

  “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked, handing his credit card over to me.

  “Do you want to take it with you or have it delivered?”

  He looked surprised by the question, then considered it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that he wasn’t really planning on buying anything when he came in today. He’d seemed confused by every question I asked that concerned his purchase and I had the sneaking feeling that he didn’t really care about it at all. But that only left one possibility and I couldn’t get ahead of myself thinking that he was here for me. Yeah, he’d asked me out, but that didn’t mean anything. It could have been a spur of the moment thing. Who knew.

  “Uh… I don’t really have anywhere to put it where they wouldn’t see it. Is there any way you could set it aside and we could have it delivered at the appropriate time?”

  Normally, I’d say no. That was a lot of work. But I liked Luke and I wanted to do whatever I could to make him happy. I wanted to see more of him. Of his easy smiles. I wanted to hear that firm, growly voice say my name again with that heated edge that made me melt. So before I could even think about it, I was saying, “Sure!” brightly and nodding.

  I scribbled up a receipt for him and handed it over. “You just let me know when and where and I’ll have my employee bring it out.”

  “Are you leaving?” Ella said from somewhere around Luke’s knees. I bent over the counter to see her pouting up at him, hugging Bubbles the bear close to her chest.

  Luke gave her a little smile and nodded. “’Fraid so. I’ve gotta go be a doctor for other people too sometimes.”

  She frowned.

  “But don’t worry, I’ll see you again this weekend.”

  Her eyes widened and she looked over to me with a question sparkling in their depths, not wanting to get too excited until I confirmed it. I nodded.

  “Dr. Luke’s invited us to a barbeque this weekend, what do you think about that?”

  “There will be hot dogs and hamburgers and I bet,” he said, crouching down to whisper, still loud enough that I could hear, “I bet there will be popsicles,” he added, eyes going wide.

  “Are we going now?” Ella asked excitedly, and Luke and I both laughed. I didn’t know what it was about this guy, but he managed to make me feel light and unburdened. He was amazing with my little girl, nice, sexy as hell, and he made us both laugh. Why didn’t I have time for dating again?

  “No sweetheart. It’s only Tuesday. We have three more days until the weekend.”

  Ella looked crestfallen, her shoulders slumping as she pouted, but then, like a sudden clever idea struck her, she ran off to her table.

  “Here,” she said, thrusting a piece of paper at him.

  “Is this for me?” he asked, looking awed.

  Ella nodded. “You said you never seen one, so you should have it.”

  I peeked and saw that she’d colored one of the pages I printed for her — a bear under a tree. The bear was clearly supposed to be Bubbles.

  “Well thank you very much. Do you think you could write your name on it for me? I want to have it signed by the artist when you’re rich and famous.”

  Ella giggled and took the paper back to her table, concentrating very hard on writing her name with a crayon, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she did.

  “Much better,” Luke said when she brought it back to him. Then, he turned to me, those dark eyes sparkling with genuine care and amusement. Every time he looked at me like that my heart stuttered and my breath caught in my chest.

  “I’ll see you Saturday?”

  I nodded.

  “You too,” he said, patting Ella on the head. “Thanks for this amazing drawing. I’m going to put it right up on my fridge so everyone can see it when they come over.”

  Ella positively beamed at him.

  I walked with him to the front door, feeling the need to say something, to express how grateful I was for his patience and generosity. But all that I managed when I got there was a “Thanks.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t mention it. I really am going to treasure it.”

  I chuckled, shaking my head. Then, right as he was getting into his truck, I realized something.

  “Hey, I don’t know when or where this thing is on Saturday.”

  He looked surprised, like he just realized the same thing. “I’ll let you know. Can I just call the store for you?”

  “Most days. If Aaron’s here, he’ll relay the message.”

  Then Luke nodded and got into his truck, those warm eyes still looking at me like they could see right through me. But I didn’t hate it. In fact, I liked it a lot. And now, Saturday couldn’t get here fast enough.

  Nine

  Luke

  “What is it this time?” Zion asked the second he answered the phone. That’s how me and my brothers have always been. Cut the pleasantries, just get straight to the point. No hi, how are you, how’s work, or any of that bullshit. The fact that I was calling him for the second week in a row told him all he needed to know: something was up.

  “Uh… I kind of need a favor,” I said, sitting in my truck outside the clinic. I felt like an idiot for inviting Claire to the barbeque on the spot like that, but she was getting ready to say no and I couldn’t let her. I needed to spend time with her. I needed to get to know her better. So if that meant I’d have to drag her to my family’s backyard barbeque and make it a full-blown party just for her sake, so be it.

  “Uh oh… What did you do?”

  “I saw Claire again,” I said, knowing it was a one-way ticket to being teased again, but I didn’t even care. I needed to have something in place, I needed to have my story straight, and pains in the ass they may be, my brothers always had my back.

  Zion whistled lowly, then sighed. “Okay, how bad is it?”

  “Not bad,” I said defensively. “I just… sort of invited her to the thing this weekend?”

  “Oh, that’s not that bad,” he said.

  “And her four year-old.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think I’m the one you should be talking to. You know Molly is organizing this whole thing. If there’s a change to the g
uest list, she should know about it.”

  I groaned. “Don’t make me do that. I’ll never hear the end of it. Can you just relay the message for me? I know it was just going to be us, but if there could be some more guests… You know, so it doesn’t seem like I panicked and invited her to a family get together.”

  “Even though you totally did,” he snickered.

  “Shut up. Are you going to help me out, or not?”

  “Are you going to admit she’s your mate yet?”

  “Zion, don’t make me kick your ass.”

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  I growled in response, but he was just laughing.

  “All right, all right. I’ll tell Molly and Aiden. She’s been trying her damnedest to find out more about this girl to set you two up anyway, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”

  I groaned, dropping my head to the steering wheel. “Don’t say that. Now I’m terrified of bringing her around. Molly’s a menace when she’s got good intentions.”

  Zion laughed, his deep rumbling chuckle tumbling through the phone. “I’ll be sure I tell her what you think of her helpfulness.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t,” he said incredulously. “Do you think I want to be the one bearing that message? There’s a reason ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ is a phrase. Because people always shoot the messenger.”

  “Only if the messenger deserves it,” I said with a grumble.

  Zion just laughed at me again and clucked his tongue. “Don’t worry, bro. We’ll get everything sorted. It’ll be a full-blown summer shindig by the time this weekend rolls around. You just bring your lady friend and her little girl and let us worry about all the rest.”

  I sighed, relief loosening the knot in my chest. It was going to be okay. I expected them to give me a hard time, but as usual, my family came through. With any luck, Claire wouldn’t have any clue that the whole thing was thrown together just to cover my slip-up.

  And if I was really lucky, maybe Molly wouldn’t be all over her the moment she arrived talking me up and dropping far-too-obvious ‘hints’ about us ending up together. The woman was about as subtle as a bowling ball.

  But I was grateful to have her in my corner. It was better than her being my opposition, that was for sure.