Sorry this chapter took so long and is so short. Real life interfered....as always. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think.
*
A stricken look on her face, Hannah turns and runs up the stairs as Luke struggles to adjust the huge bulge now throbbing behind his zipper. He takes a couple of deep breaths before turning to face his son.
"You're not supposed to run in the house, Cash!" Luke says a little more harshly than is necessary, Feeling bad almost instantly as his youngest son's face falls. He crouches down in front of him, whispering softly even as he looks past him in the direction Hannah fled.
Once Hannah reaches the top of the stairs, she quickly tucks her t-shirt back into her jeans and tucks the few stray strands of her hair behind her ears. Touching her cheeks, feeling how hot they are, she lays her head back against the wall...unable to believe how close they came.....Cash could've seen....Oh god, what is wrong with me?
Downstairs, Luke has finally sent Cash back outside and is about to start up the stairs when he sees Hannah coming down. He frowns, noticing how she keeps her head down and avoids meeting his eyes. That look he knows...he takes in the redness of her cheeks and the frightened look on her face. As she reaches the bottom step, she steps past him...very careful not to touch him.
Just as she thinks she's going to manage to slip past him without any problems, he grabs her arm and pulls her close to him. She bites back the desperate urge to cry out as he clutches her arm tightly.
Luke stares down at her flushed face. "Hannah, we have to talk." He turns and starts up the stairs, pulling her along behind him.
Determined not to put herself in the position of being alone with him again, she digs her heels in and grabs the railing...gripping it tightly as he tries to pull her up the stairs.
"Damnit, Hannah...stop acting like a child." He turns to look at her, his tone changing as he feels her body beginning to shake. "Hannah, we need to talk about what happened."
"NO" She almost laughs at the stunned look on his face as his hand falls away from her arm. "Stop treating me like I'm one of your kids, Luke." She turns on her heel and walks back into the living room and scoops Rainy up In her arms...she's almost to the front door before Luke recovers from his shock and stomps into the living room.
His eyes harden as he crosses the room, following her out the front door. He watches as she all but runs across the grass to the barn where his boys are standing around with their horses. He can't help but laugh softly as he watches her gather her barriers around her. Watching closely, he sees how his boys rally around her. Chance looks up at Hannah and then over at Luke. His eyes narrow as he reaches out and slips his small hand into Hannah's. Luke smiles, understanding well how protective his young son feels toward her. He has those feelings too....but somehow the protective feelings keep being overridden by other, stronger feelings. He never takes his eyes off of her small form as he crosses the yard, coming to stand next to her.
Hannah tries desperately to ignore his eyes as they stay fixed on her as she joins the boys at the barn. She looks down at the laughing little girl in her arms as she lowers her down onto a blanket that has been laid out in the back of the wagon. She feels Luke's hard body against her as he moves to stand beside her.
Sighing softly, she steels herself and chances a glance up to his face...only to regret her bravery as their eyes meet. Gone is the confidence she has grown used to finding there and as she looks up, she sees her own fears reflected in his eyes.
As Hannah finally meets his eyes, he takes her hand into his and pulls her gently away from the wagon. She hesitates, glancing down at Rainy as she laughs at the boys who have climbed up on the wagon wheels and are playing with her.
