shook her head, then stood and toddled over to an area with bushes surrounded by bark chips to set it off from the grass. He was almost sure he’d heard somewhere that bugs collected in this environment, and it seemed like a bad idea to let her continue to explore unchaperoned.
Glancing around, he saw a brightly colored swing set with a slide and climbing equipment all rolled into one. Clearly it was there for Danielle’s pleasure, so maybe he could channel her attention in that direction. And away from insect central.
He scooped her up in his arms, which set off instant rebellion. Sloan’s response to this was a revelation. Size and strength were on his side and ought to count for something but really didn’t. He would give her anything she wanted to make her happy.
“Want to go on the slide?” He held her high above him, pleased when she giggled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He set her at the top of the thing. It wasn’t that high, but he was loath to let go and give her over to the unpredictability of gravity. It was remarkably astonishing to him how powerful his urge was to protect this small girl he’d voluntarily taken responsibility for. He held on to her as she slid down the short slide, then helped steady her at the bottom.
“Again,” she said very clearly.
“Okay. And we have a winner.” The sense of accomplishment he experienced at pleasing her wasn’t all that dissimilar from the satisfaction he felt at overcoming a particularly challenging construction problem.
Sloan set her at the top of the structure and held on a little more loosely this time, although he was ready to scoop her up if the situation went south. Fortunately it didn’t.
She grinned up at him and said, “Again.”
“Your wish is my command, milady.”
But before he could lift her up, the back door opened and Maggie stood there.
“Mama. Cookie,” Danielle said, toddling over to her mother.
“Breakfast first.” She met his gaze and there was a dash of respect in hers. “It’s ready. Thanks to you for entertaining her.”
“The pleasure was mine.” He truly meant that. “I enjoyed hanging out with her.”
“You’re very good with her. Do you spend a lot of time with kids?”
“Actually, no. That was a first for me,” he admitted.
“So you’re a natural. Someone should alert the paparazzi,” she teased.
“Oh, please no. I’ll give you anything to keep my secret.”
“You might change your mind after breakfast. And you must be starving. Everything is on the dining room table. Help yourself.” She grabbed up her daughter and settled the child on her hip. “I’ll get this one fed in the kitchen. So you can have some peace and quiet. If you’re interested, I’ve set out newspapers—local and national.”
“Thanks.” Sloan was less interested in newsprint than he was the sight in front of him—the beautiful young mother snuggling her rosy-cheeked toddler close.
He understood her struggle to make a home for boarders while carving out a private space for her own family, but would rather have filled a plate and followed the two of them to the kitchen.
That was different.
* * *
An hour later, after changing out of his banana-slimed shirt into a clean one, Sloan drove into the parking lot of the O’Keefe Building, where his cousin Burke had rented office space. Maggie’s brother, Brady, had built the place for his tech company’s corporate office. At this point there was more room than he needed for his business, so he leased out the extra space. Sloan figured since he’d be working under the same roof as Brady, their paths would cross, and he was looking forward to meeting Maggie’s brother.
Having visited on more than one occasion, Sloan knew where his cousin’s office was located. After pushing the button for the correct floor, he rode the elevator up. The car stopped and the doors opened into a spacious waiting area. There was a reception desk straight ahead where Burke’s assistant, Lydia, normally sat. She wasn’t there now, so he walked over to the closed door, knocked once, then went inside.
“Hey, Burke, I—”
Sloan stopped dead in his tracks. His cousin was there, all right, holding a beautiful brunette in his arms while kissing her soundly. He recognized the lady. Sydney McKnight, Burke’s fiancée. The scene in front of him was different from the usual all-work-all-the-time environment, and Sloan was beginning to wonder if he’d taken a tumble down the rabbit hole. His morning had started off with him entertaining a two-year-old before breakfast—not what normally happened in the five-star hotels he frequented, although not altogether objectionable, either. He’d been complimented on everything from his business expertise to the length of his eyelashes. But never had a flattering remark pleased him more than Maggie saying he was good with kids.
Now he’d accidentally intruded on a private moment. Instead of looking embarrassed, Burke proudly held on to his woman and grinned.
“Sloan,” he said, “welcome to Blackwater Lake. You know Sydney.”
“I do.” He closed the door and moved closer to the desk, a little surprised his cousin hadn’t brushed aside all the files and paperwork to have Sydney right there. Then again, Burke was a professional and would never do anything to compromise his employees or the woman he loved...no matter how much the intense expression in his blue eyes said he wanted her. “Hi, Syd.”
“Sloan.” She managed to wriggle out of Burke’s arms and stood beside him, her cheeks a becoming shade of pink. “How are you?”
“Fine.” Mostly. But he was feeling a little weird about this encounter and not entirely sure why. “Do I need to ask how you two are?”
“Spectacular,” Sydney said, gazing up with love in her eyes at the man next to her, then back to him. “Very glad to see you.”
“I doubt that,” Sloan said, “but I’ll play. Why are you glad to see me?”
“My reasons are purely selfish.” She shrugged.
“You mean, it has nothing to do with you pining after me?” he teased.
“Sorry.” She glanced up at her fiancé. “With you here, Burke will have help shouldering the workload and maybe have more time for me.”
“Ah.”
“You know if I were single I’d do it for you, cuz.” Burke looked and sounded like the soul of innocence, but it was an act.
“You’re full of it.” Sloan met his cousin’s gaze. “But because I like Sydney, I’m happy to pick up any slack so the two of you can have couple time.”
“Family time, really,” Burke amended. “We try to include Liam as much as possible.”
Sloan knew Burke and his son, Liam, had been through a rough patch when they moved to Blackwater Lake. Syd had been a bridge over troubled waters. But that had worked both ways when Burke had helped to convince her widower dad that she didn’t have to be settled in a relationship before he could move on with his life. As it happened, the two of them had ended up falling in love and Burke had proposed a couple of months ago at her father’s wedding to Loretta Goodson, the mayor of Blackwater Lake, Montana.
“How’s Liam adjusting?” Sloan asked.
“Great.” Burke looked thoughtful. “He’s got friends. He’s playing sports and doing well in school.”
“That’s good to hear.” Sloan heard an edge to the words and hoped no one else had. It wasn’t that he begrudged his cousin’s happiness, but this whole perfect-life, happily-ever-after thing was starting to make his teeth hurt.
“Well,” Syd said, “I have to get