LITMIR.BIZ

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perched on the porch railing and crossed her arms, waiting for him to be finished with his conversation. She had a thing or two to talk to him about.

      “Tell him no.” Brady lifted his gaze.

      Her body buzzed with energy as he met her eyes. Irritating attraction. It kept popping up when all she wanted to be was mad. He held up one finger to indicate one minute. She resisted the urge to hold up a different finger with a very different meaning.

      “Fine. Tell him we’re dating and that’s the reason you guys can’t go out.”

      Maggie’s heart sank like a lead balloon crashing into her gut. Dating? It made sense. The Brady she’d known had rarely been without a girlfriend in school. He was smart, sexy and a good guy. She never would have guessed the Brady she’d known would be a cheater, but New York Brady was someone entirely different. If she hadn’t stopped them, they would have had sex in New York. Thank goodness she’d come to her senses. He’d changed, and she had to remember that.

      A different rant was forming in her head, but he wasn’t here for Maggie. He was here for Amber. And right now, he was sucking at it.

      “It’ll be okay. Run the preliminary numbers again and cross-reference the new numbers. Email me the spreadsheet and I’ll see what I can do.”

      Maggie shored up her defensive wall as she prepared to launch her attack. The bubble of heat welling within had nothing to do with the fact that he was a two-timing—She stopped her thoughts and drew in a breath. For Amber.

      Brady hit a button on his phone and walked toward her.

      When he stopped within touching distance, he looked worried. “Is something wrong?”

      “Yes.” She swallowed the hurt of finding out he was dating someone as hoity-toity as he was, and the fact her crush on him wasn’t affected by that fact. Mother first. “Amber is expecting you to pay attention to her. I’m expecting you to put away the phone for the few hours you get to spend with her.”

      The worry fell off Brady’s face. A little anger crept into its place. “This isn’t exactly a cakewalk for me. I didn’t ask for any of this and it isn’t the best time to be away from the office. I have people relying on me.”

      Like Jules? The words pressed on her tongue to get out, but she clamped her lips shut.

      “I promised I would get to know Amber, and I will.” The muscle in his jaw ticked.

      “Fine, but no more phone calls. You have all day to take them—you don’t need to take them here.” She kept her head up and ignored the heat his body stirred in her.

      “I can’t control when other people need to consult with me.” He took a step forward. “That was part of the deal, too. I need to work while I’m here.”

      “While in Tawnee Valley, yes, but while at my house with my daughter, no.” Maggie’s heart stuttered against her chest. She hadn’t spent the past eight years being brave to crumple under pressure now. She pulled her shoulders back and met his gaze with an uncompromising one.

      Eight years ago she would have backed down. So in love with the idea of Brady Ward that she would have done anything he asked of her. But that girl had grown up and could face down anything and anybody. Having a baby out of wedlock wasn’t as big a deal now, but with a small town, it hadn’t been a cakewalk, as Brady put it.

      She could almost feel the battle that waged between them. Will against will. She had the advantage. She had the power to stop him from seeing their daughter. His jaw was tight and he looked as if he was about to say something they might both regret.

      She tipped her chin up another notch. “Promises or not. She is my daughter.”

      “She is our daughter.” He straightened more, towering over her and inside she crumpled a little, but on the outside she remained a rock. “If I have to get a court-ordered DNA sample, I will. But since you don’t deny that she is mine, it shouldn’t come to that. As long as you don’t make unreasonable demands of me, I won’t make unreasonable demands of you.”

      She bristled. “I didn’t have to tell you about her.”

      “But you did.” They stood close enough to touch, but neither of them moved an inch. Neither willing to retreat. She wouldn’t give on this one. “If you want to work, stay at the farm.”

      “Fine.” The soft-spoken word caught her off guard.

      “What?” Was Brady Ward giving in to her demands? Her confusion made her anger dissipate.

      “I’m not going to fight you on this.” Brady reached out and took her hand. His whole demeanor changed. The hard businessman shut down and the country boy reemerged. The charmer she’d been half in love with. “I’m here for a short time. If I can’t be here one hundred percent for Amber, I’ll stay out at the farm. Just don’t lose faith in me yet.”

      Her pulse raced as he lightly held her hand in his. She hadn’t won the war, but she’d won this battle. Giddiness filled her. The warmth of his touch caused her breathing to become uneven. The steel look had left his blue eyes until they became warm and she felt herself softening. Swaying ever so much closer.

      He has a girlfriend! Her mind had to shout to remind her. Reluctantly, she took her hand back, resisting the urge to rub the tingles away. Just another reason to keep her distance. It would help her remember that Brady was here only for Amber.

      She nodded, not trusting her voice. Fortunately, Amber came rushing out the door at that moment, keeping both of them from making a fool out of her.

      As they stood in line at the ice cream shop after dinner, Brady couldn’t understand why Maggie was still angry. Amber had kept up the conversation during dinner, but Maggie had been visibly upset. When Amber had asked Maggie if she was okay, Maggie had claimed to have a headache. But she’d given him a glance that made him believe he was the headache.

      He had business to do. It wasn’t as if he could take off two weeks and not do his work, regardless of what his boss thought. And with the limitations of the internet out at the farm, he could only do so much there. But she didn’t seem to understand that.

      Besides, Amber had been busy with homework. It wasn’t as though she needed his constant attention. Did Maggie expect him to help Amber with her homework? Because from what he’d seen so far, she didn’t need it.

      “I want the mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate sauce.” Amber bubbled over with excitement as she pointed her fingers against the cold glass.

      “Keep your hands off the glass, please.” Maggie avoided looking at Brady.

      If that’s the way she wanted it, fine with him. He would figure out how to bridge this gap between them eventually. Her eyes had softened after he’d given in and her lips had parted slightly. Temptation in the flesh. And then she’d gone cold and rigid. Obviously, even if she desired him, she didn’t want to. Maybe he was reading her wrong. But he hadn’t read her wrong in New York. She’d been as into him as he’d been into her. He mentally shook his head as he pulled out a twenty and handed it to the cashier before Maggie had a chance to dig in her purse.

      That got a glare out of her, but he just smiled.

      Right now he had to focus on getting to know Amber in the time he had left. As much as he desired Maggie, she needed someone who would be there for her. He wasn’t ready for a full-time family.

      An elderly man in ripped khakis and a plaid shirt sidled up next to Brady. “You know it’s rude to not say hello to your elders.”

      Brady looked over and recognized Paul Morgan, a friend of his dad’s. “When I see an elder, I’ll be sure to say hi.”

      Paul took Brady’s offered hand in a hearty handshake. Paul chuckled and gestured toward Amber and Maggie getting the ice cream they’d chosen.

      “Good family you

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