His Mountain Miss (Smoky Mountain Matches) by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst [Kirst, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-04-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Friday evening, Lucian found himself in a precarious position. Apparently he hadn’t given adequate consideration to which chair he occupied for story time, for the moment he lowered himself into this one—set apart from the rest near the fireplace—the children had descended.

Sarah, the sweetheart, had climbed into his lap without a single word and snuggled against his uninjured side, her head a barely perceptible weight against his shoulder. Ollie had plopped down on the rug at Lucian’s feet and was now pressed against his leg. Others whose names he couldn’t recall had joined Ollie, crowding in so that Lucian was afraid to move for fear of crushing their little hands beneath his boots.

Megan, the little minx, was thoroughly enjoying his plight. Her attempts to curb her smile had failed, and of course, there was no masking the delicious glee in her beautiful blue eyes.

Sarah shifted, her fine hair tickling his chin. Small and warm, she smelled like sunshine and lemonade. His protective instincts kicked in, and he found himself wishing he could take away her pain. He knew the anguish of losing a mother. How much worse must it be for a young child?

Would he feel this way about his own child? He’d only ever considered having a son. Sweet Sarah spawned thoughts of a girl. One who looked an awful lot like Megan. It was a dangerous path to wander down...imagining what it might be like if he and Megan were to marry and have children of their own. She was a natural with kids. Nurturing and kind. Patient. Wise. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that she would make an exceptional mother.

For some other man’s children, not yours. A local man. Someone like Tom Leighton.

Why did that prospect hit him with the force of a direct blow to the gut?

If he shifted his head slightly to the left, he could see the man in question leaning against the wall, watching Megan with undisguised admiration and longing. Tom made no effort to hide his feelings. Did he comprehend what a treasure he had in her? If he succeeded in winning her, would he truly appreciate her?

Megan deserved to have her happy-ever-after. Lucian wanted that for her. Even if he couldn’t be the one to give it to her, even if it wounded him to imagine her setting up house with another man.

Lucian couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes his father had. He would not rip an innocent girl from the only home she’d ever known, separate her from family and friends and then subject her to a world that was oftentimes cruel and cold. Megan was a small-town girl through and through. She belonged here in East Tennessee with her mountains and the people she’d known her whole life and the children who adored her.

Besides, he wasn’t exactly levelheaded when it came to her. With her around, his determination to remain detached, to hold his heart apart, disintegrated like parchment in flames into a pile of smoldering ashes.

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