To Wed and Protect by Carla Cassidy Page B

ever told anyone about singing for his father and wetting his pants. Why on earth had he told her of that particular little embarrassing incident?
    He was still ruminating over this when she entered the bedroom clad in a bathrobe. “Abby…about what just happened…” he began, feeling the need to somehow insert a little distance between them.
    She held up her hand to silence him. “I told you, Luke. No recriminations and no expectations. What happened, happened. It’s over, it’s done.”
    She sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at him somberly. “When Loretta was murdered, I was engaged to a man who professed to love children and value family above all else. When he realized I was taking on two scarred, frightened children, I expected him to be by my side, but he ran for the hills. When my sister left her husband, I thought that finally she was going to get a chance to live a happy, normal life, but I was wrong.”
    She got up from the edge of the bed and grabbed her jeans and her T-shirt. “I’ve learned the hard way to expect nothing from life or from people. I take it one day at a time.” She offered him a strained smile. “Don’t worry, Luke. As far as I’m concerned, we can forget this happened at all. The bathroom is all yours. I’ll finish dressing in one of the kids’ rooms.” With these words she left the bedroom.
    Luke stared after her, oddly disturbed by her words, and bothered that her words had disturbed him.

Chapter 7
    A bby was almost grateful the next morning when Luke called her and said he wouldn’t be able to work at her place that day.
    She needed the day without his magnetic presence to get the ground firmly beneath her feet and deal with the embarrassment the events of the day before had created in her.
    She had probably been the easiest seduction the man had ever successfully completed. She’d practically thrown herself at him, insisting that he make love to her. Her cheeks burned at the memory of how forward she’d been and how glorious being in his arms had felt.
    She’d known from the moment she’d met Luke, when he’d teased her with those sooty eyes of his, that he would be a magnificent lover, and she hadn’t been wrong.
    He’d been gentle yet masterful, sweeping her into the heights of delight with hungry kisses and hot caresses. When his dark eyes had gazed at her, he’d made her feel more beautiful and more desirable than anyone had ever made her feel.
    With utter mastery and confidence, he’d known just where to touch, just how to kiss to produce a fiery hunger for him inside her.
    She spent the entire day trying to forget the power of his kisses, the warm comfort of his arms, the utter splendor of his naked body against hers.
    He called the next morning and told her once again that he had other business that wouldn’t allow him to get to her place that day. She wondered if perhaps he was trying to avoid her, and that only increased her embarrassment over the intimacy that had occurred between them.
    It was early Thursday morning, and she was standing at the edge of the road with the children waiting for the school bus, when she saw Luke’s familiar black pickup heading in their direction.
    She couldn’t help the small lurch of her heart as he parked the truck and stepped out. He was so darned sexy in his tight, worn jeans and the white T-shirt that pulled provocatively across the width of his chest.
    His thick, dark hair gleamed in the sun and despite herself her gaze swept across his chest to his bulging biceps, and she remembered how good it had felt to lay in his strong arms.
    He waved but didn’t approach. Instead he walked to the back of the truck and unloaded several pieces of lumber.
    â€œWhat’s he doing now?” Jason asked, his dark eyes focused on Luke.
    â€œHe’s going to finish building us a nice, new porch,” Abby explained.
    Jason