Keeping Katie (A Mother's Heart #1) Read Online Free

Laughing, she pushed through the kitchen door and came to an abrupt halt. Alan Parks leaned casually against the counter, one booted foot draped over the other, arms crossed, listening intently to Mrs. Matson, Rita’s only other boarder.
    He looked different without his uniform. Less civilized. More dangerous. Something stirred inside her, bringing an unwelcome warmth to the room. She tried to shake the feeling, telling herself there was nothing unusual in what he wore—just a pair of jeans and a soft chambray shirt open at the throat. Nothing unusual, except maybe the way the jeans fit, as if he’d been born in them, or the way the soft beige of his shirt emphasized the coppery darkness of his skin. He looked barely tame. Suddenly, she ached in places she had thought long dead.
    Her gaze drifted to his face, and she saw the amusement in his eyes, the knowledge of his effect on women. The arrogance of it annoyed her, clearing her stunned senses. Why were good-looking men always so damn cocky?
    “There you two are,” Rita said.
    Maureen pulled her gaze away from Alan, and the sights and smells of the kitchen rushed in on her all at once. Rita stood over a stove laden with food. Mrs. Matson sat cutting raw vegetables at the kitchen table, and the room smelled of roasting turkey and rich, spicy apples.
    “Are we late?” Careful to avoid looking Alan’s way again, Maureen carried Katie across the room and set her on one of the counter stools.
    “No, dear. You’re just in time.” Rita finished stirring something on the stove and, after wiping her hands on her apron, reached for Katie. “Come here, sweetie. Don’t you look nice.”
    “It smells wonderful in here,” Maureen said, handing Katie to the older woman. “What’s the occasion?”
    “No occasion.” Rita fussed with the new top Katie wore, winning a smile from the little girl. “I like making a big dinner on Sunday, and I’ve always felt turkey was too good to save for Thanksgiving.” Motioning toward Alan, she added, “Maureen, this is my nephew Alan. He eats with us on Sunday.”
    “We met at Lynn’s yesterday.” Alan’s smile never faltered as his eyes scanned her from head to toe, once again stirring that unfamiliar warmth. “Nice to see you again, Maureen.”
    Annoyed as much with her own reaction as with him, she merely nodded.
    Fortunately, Rita wasn’t finished with the introductions. “And this,” she said to Alan, “is Katie.”
    “Hello, Katie.” Alan reached out to touch Katie’s hand, but she shied away, burying her head in Rita’s chest.
    “Alan won’t bite, honey,” Rita soothed. “You know, he used to be a little boy just your size, and I’d take care of him. Just like I take care of you.”
    Katie seemed to consider this while studying him from the safety of familiar arms. Then she squirmed sideways, reaching for her mother.
    Maureen took Katie from Rita, but she could tell Katie wasn’t really frightened—she was just toying with the adults. “It’s okay,” she said. “Mr. Parks is the sheriff here.”
    “What’s that?” Katie asked.
    “It’s like a policeman,” Maureen answered. Then, when Katie didn’t respond, she added, “He doesn’t look like a policeman because he’s not wearing his uniform.”
    “Oh.” Katie didn’t look convinced.
    Laughing, Rita scowled playfully at Alan. “Maybe if you got yourself a haircut, the child might not be afraid of you.”
    “Don’t worry yourself, Aunt Rita.” Alan planted a kiss on the older woman’s cheek. “She’ll come around.” Then, with a wink and a grin at Maureen, he added, “They all do.”
    His grin caught her, rendering Maureen breathless for a moment. Why hadn’t she noticed yesterday how captivating this man was? How could she have missed the burnished copper in his dark brown hair? Or the color of his eyes? Not dark, but not light, either. They looked as if they’d been painted with the same brush that touched his hair.
    Feeling