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.“Just remember, Cade,” he said, tossing the football up and then catching it again, “always keep your eye on the ball.” He was looking at Ellie again and winked at her before she dropped her eyes.* * *Ellie let out the breath she had been holding and finished mixing the lemonade.She couldn’t define what distracted meant, but she certainly knew what it felt like.And what is with Mr.MVP? Every time she tried to sneak a peek at him, he was staring at her.Then he winked.Was he flirting with her? She almost wanted to look behind her to see if someone else stood there.“Almost done with the lemonade?” Betsy asked as she opened a bag of potato chips.Ellie let go of the spoon.If the lemonade had been cream, they’d have butter by now.“Yes.” She wiped her hands down the front of her jeans and tried to ignore the smug look on Betsy’s face.“Do you need me to do anything else?”“Nope,” Betsy said as Owen brought over a plate of steaming burgers.“Looks like we’re ready to eat.”When they stood around the table, Owen put his hands on Cade’s shoulders.“Nick, would you mind offering a prayer on the food?”Ellie bowed her head, telling herself to get a grip on her emotions.Since Thomas’s deception, she honestly had not felt any kind of attraction for a man.So why did she have to pick somebody who was totally unattainable to have her first crush on? Maybe that’s why she felt this way—nothing could ever come from it.As Nick said the prayer, the timbre of his voice made her stomach tighten.It figured he would offer a nice prayer.It was one more thing to break down her resolve.After the prayer, Ellie helped Cade get his food and was dismayed when he insisted on sitting by Nick.When she approached the patio table, she took the only seat available.Across from Nick.She tried to avoid looking at him but since Cade sat beside the football player, she found her eyes drifting in Nick’s direction.More than once, their gazes connected, and for a few seconds she almost couldn’t breathe.It made her dinner difficult to ingest, what with her labored breathing.It was frustrating—she liked to eat.The Stewarts were excellent hosts and asked Nick questions about his humanitarian work.The ice around Ellie’s heart melted a little more as she listened to Nick talk about the kids whose lives had been altered for the good.By the time everyone was finished with dinner, Ellie felt confused.She was actually beginning to like the guy.She didn’t like that one bit.When Betsy started to clean up, Ellie wanted to help.Owen had already taken a load into the house.If Betsy left, she would be alone with Nick.Cade was busy playing with the ice-cubes in his water glass.Ignoring the look Betsy threw her way, Ellie grabbed a few items on the table.“Here, let me do that.You made the dinner so just sit here and relax.”Betsy wouldn’t have it, her matchmaking mind undoubtedly in motion.“Nonsense, Owen and I can do this.” She grabbed the dishes out of Ellie’s hands.“Go on, sit down and visit with Nick.”Visit? Not likely.Saying something stupid was more like it.She pulled Cade onto her lap, making him a barrier between her and the gorgeous man who smiled a lot.He currently watched her with an amused expression.“Cade, do you want to help with the dishes?” Betsy asked.What? No! Betsy knew Cade wouldn’t be able to resist the invitation, because everyone knows that to a four-year-old, doing the dishes meant playing with water and bubbles, not work.“Yeah!” He raced in the kitchen, leaving Ellie alone with the man wreaking havoc on her emotions.She either had to talk to Nick or go home.Shyly, she turned to see if she could read what he thought about all of this.He still watched her, a small smile playing at his lips.He is just a man, she reminded herself.A really good-looking man.Those eyes of his had her mesmerized and now she was the one doing all the staring.She blinked and forced herself to speak.“Thanks for playing catch with Cade.” She wondered if he knew how much it really had meant to her.“It was fun.He’s a cute little guy.” He moved closer, sitting in the chair next to her.“I like kids, so I really didn’t mind his visit today.”Why did he have to bring that up? “Uh, thanks for not saying anything about the…” She couldn’t say towel.“Um, he tends to escape at the most inopportune times.”He chuckled.“You’re a good mom.”That’s all he was going to say? Good—he recognized her exposure as that of a devoted mother.“Yeah, it’s amazing what you would do for your child when you think they’re in danger.”She was in danger.The way he looked at her made her feel…attractive.He must have sensed the terror she felt at his nearness because he drew back and stretched out his long legs.“So, your parents are in England?”She grabbed onto the safe topic.“Yes, Cambridge.My dad is a professor of ancient history at CU.He couldn’t resist the opportunity to teach at Cambridge for a couple of years.They love it there, especially on the weekends when they can explore all of England.” Then she told him about her two older brothers and tried not to grin—Weston and Nathan would die if they knew who she was talking to right now.Oddly enough, they found common ground.They both lived without family around and each had two siblings.As she listened to him talk about his parents and two sisters, it was obvious how much he loved his family.Funny, she even got the feeling that Nick Coulter felt a little alone at times.Go figure.There really did seem to be more to this man than just a pretty face and a lucrative football career.She found herself warming up to him.Then he dropped a big, wet blanket on her.“So, does Cade get to see his dad often?”Twice a year was too frequent.“Not really.Thomas lives in Australia and only makes it out a couple of times a year.”Twisting her hands in her lap, she wished Cade or the Stewarts would come back outside.She could hear her little boy’s laughter and wanted to go watch him having fun.Anything to avoid this uncomfortable subject.Shifting her weight, she thought about just leaving anyway.Either that or change the tide of this conversation.She wasn’t quick enough, though.Nick leaned forward, his indigo eyes studying her carefully.“Is it hard raising a child all by yourself?”Hard, wonderful, scary, amazing…She shrugged.“I’m used to it.My parents have been a great help, especially when Cade was so little.I really miss them.”“I’ll bet.How old was Cade when his dad left?”She looked into his deep blue eyes and saw pity.No, it was more like compassion.She felt vulnerable revealing that her husband had found someone else and didn’t want her or the child they had created.“Cade was three weeks old.”She heard his sharp intake of breath.What must he be thinking? Abruptly, she stood up.“Well, I need to get ready for church tomorrow.I better get Cade home.” She rushed into the kitchen, eager to escape.She could feel Nick on her heels.“Cade, we need to go.” Her voice was fraught with emotion.“But, Mom…”She cast a desperate look Betsy’s way.Please understand and don’t make me stay.“I have a lot of ironing to do and need to round up Cade’s Sunday clothes.” She rambled off stupid excuses, but she didn’t care [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]