“Oh! What a fabulous idea!” Creative ideas came fast and furious. Flipping to a new page, Autumn sent her pencil flying in fun designs. “You’ll have to tell me exactly what you need, of course, but wouldn’t this be amazing? We could take out the closet door, reframe it and make it Sadie’s own little office space. The wall could be done in chalkboard paint, and we could put a few low shelves on this side for art supplies, with this shelf serving as a desk surface—” She squeaked in surprise when Tash gave her the same type of hug she’d given to Sadie, embracing her with one long arm while laughing at her eagerness.
It nearly stopped her heart. Good Lord, the man was solid. Crushed close to his side, several sensations hit her at once, like the soft hair on his forearm, the heat of his skin, his husky laugh and his rich scent.
When was the last time a man had held her? So long ago, she couldn’t even remember! She blinked, unsure what to say, or what to do...
He didn’t linger over the gesture, and she realized his focus was largely on his daughter—meaning Autumn had overreacted.
That assumption proved true when he said to Sadie, “I think I should give Autumn a down payment right now, don’t you? That way she can’t back out on us.”
“I wouldn’t,” Autumn protested, still flustered and trying her best to hide it. She knew he’d done all that for his daughter, to reassure her, so she needed to get her raging hormones in line and play along. “I’m looking forward to digging in and I’m hoping to have lots of input from Sadie. She can be my assistant.”
Tash asked his daughter, “What do you think? Are you up for the job?”
“Yes,” Sadie sang, and before Autumn even knew what was happening, they were all on their way indoors, where Tash insisted on writing her a check for more than half of her estimated charge.
Since Sadie seemed so very pleased, Autumn accepted the payment with a smile.
* * *
Talk about being blindsided... Tash had a hell of a time adjusting. From the moment he’d pulled Sadie from that twisted wreck, he’d put women from his mind. He’d canceled dates, broken ties and devoted all his thoughts, energy and purpose into caring for his daughter. Piece of cake. Nothing mattered but his daughter’s well-being. Being one-hundred-percent Dad left little room for the pursuits of most single men.
Now here was Autumn, and damn, the lady packed a wallop.
At first, he hadn’t thought she was pretty—was, in fact, almost plain. Average face, average build.
Until she’d smiled. Once he’d talked to her for a few minutes and watched her interact with Sadie, she looked different. Right before his eyes, she’d...glowed. With happiness and understanding.
That smile teased without trying. Her eyes, a soft blue, looked at Sadie and really saw her—not just a cute kid with a bold personality, but a young girl struggling to find her place, to adjust to big changes.
And when she looked at him? There was a sexy reserve to her manner, something that suggested she wasn’t exactly interested, but was definitely full of secrets.
All combined, it made her uniquely...tempting.
It didn’t make any sense.
He remembered her as a shy, quiet, nondescript little thing, who’d occasionally stare at him in school and at sporting events.
She wasn’t all that shy anymore, definitely wasn’t quiet—not when discussing one of her passions, like design or caring for animals—and he wouldn’t call her little, not at all.
The woman had curves galore. Curves he kept noticing despite his best intentions.
Yet it was more than that, too. If she’d only been stacked, no problem. A sexy body wouldn’t draw him so completely. But in addition to that mouth-watering figure, Autumn was warm and sweet, intuitive and caring.
He wasn’t made of stone, so how could he not notice?
Dangerous. Appealing.
Now that he’d hired her, they’d be seeing each other more. He looked forward to talking with her again, and if he didn’t miss his guess, his daughter felt the same.
It was nice seeing Sadie excited for something. Now if he could just keep her smiling...
* * *
Autumn had other appointments, but she and Tash ended up conferring on the new office space instead, and later, with that area decided, the design of Sadie’s bedroom changed just a bit to include plenty of room for her toys.
Sadie had dolls of every variety, so Autumn hoped to convince Tash to invest in a really special dollhouse made locally. It was big enough for Sadie to crawl inside now, and when she was older, it could be turned and used as a special shelf for her dolls. That, she decided, should be discussed in private, though.
She never made those suggestions in front of children, because it was the parents who understood and would adhere to a budget.
She’d left Tash’s house well behind schedule and spent the rest of the day running late for appointments. She got home well past her usual time, so it was a good thing Ember had tended to all the animals and checked on their parents. Autumn crashed in her bed a little after ten and only managed to read two chapters before she got too sleepy to concentrate.
She nodded off thinking about Tash. The way he’d touched her, along with the evidence that he was such a great dad, proved to be a powerful combo of physical and emotional appeal.
The man was more enticing than Rocky Road ice cream, and damn it, that scared her a little...in a very exciting way.
Chapter Three
That next Saturday, after working all morning on the farm, taking her parents to appointments in the afternoon and rescuing a turkey that some a-hole wanted to shoot, Autumn was entirely tuckered out.
A heat wave had affected the area, making everyone—her included—more listless. Her work was often dirty and, yes, regardless of her sister’s wishes, she perspired. With the temps in the midnineties and oppressive humidity, she knew she wasn’t the only one.
As she walked through the house on her way to the laundry room, she peeled off her suffocating clothes. The kiss of air-conditioning on her skin helped revive her, but only a little. Once she dropped her rumpled load onto the utility-room floor with the rest of the clothes, the heap nearly reached her knees.
A day off to catch up on chores would be nice, but she wouldn’t get that until next weekend.
Sighing, she eyed the growing pile with apology. “Don’t complain,” she told the laundry. “No one is doing me, either.” She snickered at her joke. The laundry did not.
After kicking away a sock, she dragged her tired body into the shower. Pavlov, who was indeed fickle, had decided to stay with her parents for the night, so she got into a sleep shirt and crawled into bed alone.