Tempting Taine (19 page)

"I'll leave a light on out in the hallway.
 
You'll be able to see just fine."

"What if I get scared?"

"My bedroom is right next to yours.
 
If something scares you, you can come right in and snuggle up next to me.
 
But I'm sure that you will be fine."

Aroha hugged on to her favorite soft toy - a bright green parrot that her nana had made her when she was a baby and that went everywhere with her.
 
"'Night, Mum."

"Good night, poppet."

Verity was just shutting the door softly behind her when she heard one last, sleepy whisper from Aroha.
 
"I like having a dad.
 
I'm glad he found me."
 
The whisper tore her heart in two.
 
How could she resent Taine coming back into her life when it made her daughter so happy?

She returned to the dining room to make her excuses and go to her own room, but Taine forestalled her.
 
"You look like you need this," he said, handing her a glass of wine.

She took it automatically.
 
"I don't think…"

He put one hand on her shoulder and propelled her over to a couch.
 
"Come on.
 
Dad's
retired for the night so it's just you and me.
 
Sit down for a few minutes and relax.
 
You look like you need to."

She allowed him to sit her down, and took a sip of the wine.
 
The taste was rich and heady, and she found herself taking another mouthful.
 
Maybe a glass of wine
was
just what she needed.
 

He sat down beside her and draped one arm casually over the back of the sofa.
 
"Did Aroha settle in okay?"

She squirmed a little.
 
His arm was just close enough to make her feel uneasy, but just far enough away that she would feel petty if she asked him to remove it.
 
"It's always a little tricky in a new place.
 
She gets too excited."

"And how about you?"
 
His voice lowered.
 
"Are you excited to be here?"

"No," she said, taking another mouthful of wine to disguise the baldness of her statement.
 
Excited is not what she would call it.
 
Apprehensive, maybe.
 
Nervous.
 
Downright scared, even.
 
But
not excited.
 

She ignored the tiny tendril of excitement uncurling in the pit of her stomach at the prospect of an evening alone with Taine.
 
It
oughtn't
be there.
 
It had no right to be there.
 
If she ignored it hard enough, it would go away, which would be for the best.

He moved his arm until it was resting gently on her shoulders.
 
"Not in the least bit?"

She shook her head.
 
"I've come here before," she reminded him, trying for flippancy.

"
Mmmmm
, how could I forget?"

Oops, that was a mistake.
 
She glared at the glass of wine in her hand, which was now mysteriously
half empty
.
 
"And it's not an experience I intend to repeat."

"Why not?
 
As I recall, it was one of the better experiences of my life."

"Don't mock me."

"I was not mocking you.
 
I meant every word I said."

She kicked off her shoes and curled her legs up under her on the sofa.
 
The wine was delicious.
 
She took another sip and let the warmth of it unfurl through her body.
 
Taine's company could be surprisingly restful when he kept his mouth shut and stopped teasing her.

She gave a wide yawn and set her empty glass down on the sofa beside her.
 
Taine's arm was now resting on her shoulders, and she leaned back into him and closed her eyes.
 
Dealing with such emotion today has been exhausting.
 
In just a
moment
she would get up and go to bed.

Taine embraced Verity lightly as her eyes drifted shut and her breathing became the regular rhythm of sleep.
 
It was not the way he had envisaged ending the evening, but no matter.
 
If he had his way, there would be plenty more evenings in which he could make love to the woman in his arms.
 
Having her
trust
him enough to fall asleep in his arms was gift enough for this evening.

He picked her up carefully in his arms, taking care not to wake her, and carried her up to her room.
 
She hardly stirred when he lay her down on the top of the coverlet.
 

Stepping back, he looked at
her
as she lay there, defenseless in her sleep.
 
No barriers between them, no pretense of indifference - just softness and peace.
 
He placed a kiss on her sleeping face, drew a blanket over her, and left her alone.

He had woken up this morning as a bitter man, blaming Verity for breaking his heart.
 
He was going to bed a father, with a daughter to care for and to cherish.
 
Had Verity broken his heart a thousand times, he would have forgiven her a million times over for such a gift.

Verity woke to her daughter tugging on her arm.
 
"Mum, Mum, come on.
 
Get up.
 
It's time to feed the lamb."

She rolled over and groaned.
 
Early mornings were not her style, especially when
she'd
had a restless night full of erotic dreams of Taine.
 
"Coming," she said, burrowing her face deeper into the pillow and trying to pretend that it was still the middle of the night and the sun was not peeking through her curtains and Aroha wasn't jumping up and down with excitement beside her bed.

"Come on, Mum.
 
The lamb is
starving
but Dad says we have to wait for you before we feed it."

Heaven help that she should be the cause of a motherless lamb dying of starvation.
 
With a groan of
protest
she stumbled out of bed and threw a robe on.
 
"I'm ready," she said in a voice that croaked like a frog.

Verity dragged her downstairs and outside into the barn, where Taine was already sitting with a couple of lambs on his lap and the bottles warming in a pan of hot water.
 
Aroha
plonked
herself down on the straw beside him with a bounce.
 
"Pass me a bottle," she demanded.

Taine passed her a bottle.
 
"You'll have to hold it tight.
 
The lambs are greedy wee beggars."

Aroha nodded solemnly.
 
"I've got it."

She upended the bottle and pushed it against the side of the lamb's mouth.
 
The lamb sucked greedily at the milk and Aroha squeaked with excitement.
 
"She's drinking it.
 
Look, mom, she's so hungry, she's almost pulling it right out of my hand."

Verity wrapped her robe more tightly around her in the chill air as she watched the pair of them.
 
Taine was a natural father, and Aroha seemed to have accepted him quite happily into her life.

After feeding the lambs, it was time for breakfast - oatmeal with cream and honey - and then Aroha persuaded Taine to give her a riding lesson on the pony.
 
The creature was
old and fat
and slow, but Aroha sat on its back with as much dignity as if it had been a thoroughbred racer and she the winning jockey.

In the afternoon, the three of them walked up to the hot springs in the afternoon.
 
Verity could not help blushing as she skirted the patch of ground where she and Taine had made love just a few nights ago.
 
She was glad Aroha was with them this time - there would be no
skinny dipping
and no danger that a soak in the hot springs could turn into anything more intimate.

They made dinner early and Aroha was asleep almost before she had finished eating.
 
Mr. Hunter ate a few mouthfuls of dinner,
then
claimed he was too weary for any more and was wheeled off to bed.
 

Taine and Verity finished their dessert in the living room.
 
She lay on the couch with her feet up, while he stretched out in front of the fire on a rug on the floor.

He scooped up the last of his
ice-cream
and pushed the bowl away with a sigh.
 
"Is being a parent always this exhausting?"

The living room was wonderfully cozy and warm, and her early morning was starting to catch up on her.
 
She let her eyes drift shut.
 
"Not always."

"Thank goodness.
 
I feel wrung out.
 
I never knew that children could be so enthusiastic."

"Sometimes it's worse."

He gave a bark of laughter.
 
"Oh no.
 
I got off easily, did I?"

There was a companionable silence, the only noise being the crackling of the fire and the faint noise of the wind whistling through the trees.
 
"How did you ever manage it?" he went on after a few moments.
 
"Being a parent by yourself?"

She gave a mental shrug.
 
"There wasn't a lot of choice.
 
I
had
to manage.
 
Aroha had to be fed and changed, however tired I was."

"It must've been hard."

"I had Mom and Gran to help me.
 
They made it easier.
 
I would've been a lot worse off without them."

He cleared his throat.
 
"I owe you an apology."

The gravity in his voice made her smile to herself.
 
"I'm sure you owe me plenty."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"When you left me, you broke my heart.
 
I judged you harshly for that, and gave you all the blame, telling myself that you were unfeeling, callous and selfish until I truly believed it."

Fate had conspired against them.
 
Fate in the form of Taine's mother.
 
"That's in the past now.
 
You don't need to beat yourself up over it."

"I carried my bitterness around with me for so long that it became a part of me, and I treated you unfairly."

"It's over.
 
Gone.
 
Don't worry about it."

"I do worry about it.
 
All the time.
 
Can you ever forgive me for the things I said to you?"

"I don't know."
 
To her surprise, the words were true.
 
Yes, she could understand with her head that Taine had not known about Aroha, but forgiveness from the heart was another matter.
 
She, too, had carried her bitterness around for so long that it had become a part of her.
 
"But I will try."

"Thank you.
 
That means a lot to me."
 
In a sudden playful mood, he rolled over on to his back and patted the rug beside him.
 
"Come and join me here."

"I'm too comfortable to move," she protested.

"You'll be more comfortable down here.
 
I promise you.”

"
Meh
."
 
She
didn't
trust him and his promises.

"I will make it worth your while."
 
He grabbed hold of her foot and tickled it.
 
"How can I work on gaining your forgiveness if you won't let me try?"