Her Very Own Family by Trish Milburn

lust?That was another matter altogether. Was she capable of having a purely physical relationship?
    She didn’t know, but right now she was willing to try.
    When Brady broke the kiss to breathe, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”
    “Really?” she said, sounding out of breath.
    “Yeah. Don’t sound so surprised. You’d make a saint melt,” he said with a voice gone husky with desire.
    She blushed then initiated another quick kiss. “You’re not hard on the eyes, either.” Or the mouth.
    Brady cradled her face in his big hands. “Then I should have dunked you in the creek sooner.” He cut off her response with yet another mind-disabling kiss before growling and pulling away.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “As much as I’d like to continue this, we’re supposed to meet Dad at the takeout point in about an hour. If we’re late, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
    Audrey tried not to let her disappointment, or her arousal, show as they stole a few more kisses before getting back in the canoe and heading downstream. Maybe if they got back to the mill before the headiness of the kissing wore off, they could send Nelson home and indulge in a little more.
    Her thoughts went to her bed in the mill’s attic, and she wondered if she could go through with sex for sex’s sake. She pushed away thoughts of wanting more, of how she was opening herself up to pain again. If Brady found out about her mother and looked at her differently,if he pulled away, could she bear to stay at the mill he’d helped her refurbish?
    When Brady stopped paddling, she turned to see what was wrong. He surprised her by being so close.
    “I wanted another one of these before we reach the old man.” He took her face in his hands again and kissed her like they were facing the end of time. When he pulled away, he chuckled at what must be an addled expression on her face.
    As they rounded a bend in the creek and she spotted Nelson’s pickup, she fought to wipe her silly grin away. Even if she and Brady couldn’t continue what they’d started this afternoon, she was pretty sure she was going to have some hot dreams tonight.
    She buried her smile when they floated a little farther downstream and she noticed Nelson wasn’t alone. He stood next to his truck while a blond woman and two little blond girls sat swinging their legs on the tailgate.
    “Who are they?” she asked Brady under her breath.
    “My sister and nieces.”
    “Oh.” Was their presence a good or bad thing? Disappointment that getting rid of Nelson just got a lot harder flowed through her.
    “Uncle Brady!” the little girls squealed in unison and waved with enthusiasm.
    “Hey, rugrats.”
    “About time you two got here,” Nelson said in fake exasperation as they pulled up to the gravel takeout point. “A man could grow old waiting.”
    “You’re already old,” Brady said as he stepped outof the canoe and pulled it farther out of the water so Audrey could step out.
    Nelson grabbed the ever-present towel hanging from his belt and snapped it against Brady’s arm. Audrey smiled to see the teasing between father and son, a good sign that maybe they were beginning to heal from their recent loss. They’d no doubt have bad days ahead, but at least bright spots made appearances, too.
    Just like today in her life. She’d been so afraid of the past catching up to her that she’d forgotten she should be enjoying the present. Wasn’t that what moving to Willow Glen and reimagining the mill was all about, starting a new, better life? Maybe she needed to take a few chances outside of the leap of faith regarding her new business.
    “You must be Audrey,” Brady’s sister said as she approached her and offered her hand. “I’m Sophie. And these two,” she said as she pointed to where her daughters had wrapped their arms around their uncle’s legs, “are Annie and Bethany.”
    Audrey shook Sophie’s hand and noticed how much she