Baby in His Arms by Linda Goodnight Read Free Book Online

up in this tiny place, though Brent was maybe ten years older.
    “Carter,” Brent said, his eyes questioning. If Creed noticed, he chose to ignore the obvious. Brent wanted to know what he was doing here. Haley wasn’t going to satisfy him with an answer. She hoped Creed wouldn’t, either.
    “I’ll be right back,” she said.
    She returned to find Brent ensconced on her best chair—the only one she hadn’t bought at a thrift shop—and Creed Carter standing at the front door.
    “You’re not leaving?” she said before she realized how that sounded.
    “My day starts early. Thanks for the evening.”
    Thomas had followed him to the door. Creed scuffed the boy’s wild blond hair and winked. “Thanks for the UNO lesson.”
    Thomas grinned. “Wave at me tomorrow?”
    “You got it.” And then he was gone.
    Men, Haley thought, are the strangest creatures.
    “What was he doing here?” Brent asked without preamble.
    Haley gave him a cool look. “Visiting.”
    Did he actually think it was any of his business if she had a guest?
    “Creed helped me fly my kite,” Thomas said. “We built it, too. Last night. Creed’s a pilot. Did you know that?”
    Thomas was not usually a chatty-patty, but his words had a strange effect on her landlord. He sat up straight and stiff, his Adam’s apple protruding beneath a very tight jaw.
    “Creed was here last night, as well?”
    Haley was tempted to tell him to go suck a lemon. Wisdom and the need for a roof over her head reined in the urge. After living on this small acreage on the edge of town for years, she’d put down the deepest roots of her life. She loved it here. She’d spent countless hours and too much money on plants and pots and paint to improve the place. Everything she needed was here. Even the work space for her art, though small, was the best she’d ever had.
    She could not afford to alienate Brent Henderson. She’d give anything if his father, Elbert, hadn’t given his son control over his real estate business.
    “Would you like some tea, Brent? I was about to have a cup.”
    “Thank you. Tea would be nice.” He stood as if to follow her into the kitchen. “I thought you were going to paint the living room.”
    Haley stopped in the doorway.
    “I am.” When she got the money for more paint. “Did you notice the landscaping work on the south side of the house? I removed that dead tree myself.”
    “Nice.”
    That was all he could say? Nice? She’d saved him several hundred dollars by doing the job herself. Elbert Henderson had allowed her credit for the improvements she’d done. Brent was not inclined to appreciate her labors.
    “Why don’t you sit down and relax, Brent? I’ll get the tea. Thomas will entertain you. Won’t you, Thomas?”
    She widened her eyes at the boy to telegraph her meaning. Thomas was smart and intuitive. He’d get the message. The last time Brent had followed her into the kitchen he’d crowded her against the sink and kissed her. She didn’t want to lose her home, but there would not be a repeat of that episode.
    Trooper that he was, Thomas slid down beside the coffee table. As she hurried into the kitchen, she heard him ask, “Want to play UNO?”
    * * *
    An hour later, Haley leaned against the front door and sent a prayer of thanks as Brent drove away. Thomas, who’d played the innocent chaperone, yawned.
    “Are you gonna marry him?”
    Haley’s eyes widened. “What? No. Never. Why would you ask that?”
    “He brought flowers. Guys on TV do that when they want to get married.”
    “The flowers were an apology for saying something he shouldn’t have.” And for kissing me without my consent.
    “I like Creed better, anyway. If he brought flowers, would you marry him?”
    “Thomas! I’m not going to marry anyone. Ever.” She pressed both hands against her cheeks. Foster kids often asked the craziest questions. She supposed all kids did, but her experience was with the temporaries. “Now, go take your bath and