He set the spoon on the table and walked over to her, and it was all Catherine could do to stand her ground. He seemed larger than ever and unusually appealing. “So far, it’s been two for two for this house,” he whispered, running his knuckles down the side of her cheek. “And God willing, little Cat, it will be three for three.”

She couldn’t respond to save her soul.

He wasn’t really implyingmarriage. Good heavens, they had shared one kiss in the barn.

And it looked as if they were about to share another!

He finished his caress by using a finger to lift her chin and then lowered his mouth to hers. The contact was so gentle—and so fleeting—that Catherine was back to wondering if it was happening at all. Darn it, the guy needed lessons on stealing kisses more than he needed lessons on paying attention.

But as soon as Catherine thought that, his arms wrapped around her and he deepened the kiss. Her own arms somehow found their way around his neck, and her tongue also had a mind of its own and eagerly went in search of his.

It didn’t even unnerve her this time when he cupped her bottom and pulled her intimately against him, and Catherine felt his intentions poking her belly. She might have even wiggled a bit, because Robbie groaned, tightened his arms, and started her heart racing with his hot, intoxicating mouth.

Their impassioned embrace had her all but lifted off her feet, and Catherine was about to climb up his body and wrap her legs around him when the owl let out a loud, sharp whistle that made her ears ring.

It was followed by the pounding of small feet on the porch.

Catherine scrambled back so fast Robbie had to grab her shoulders to keep her from falling. She tugged down the hem of her sweater—how had it gotten that high?—and scrubbed her swollen, tingling lips with her sleeve.

Robbie spun on his heel, snatched her sewing kit off the table, and strode into the living room. She noticed his walk was a bit stiff, and saw him give a quick tug on his pant leg.

She slapped her hand over her mouth to check her laughter, just as the kitchen door slammed open and Nathan and Nora came running inside. They dropped their backpacks on the floor, tossed their jackets toward the pegs—missing them completely

—and kicked off their boots in four different directions.

“Did you ask him, Mom?” Nathan asked, padding up to her in his sock feet. “Can I have it?”

“Oh, honey, I haven’t asked him yet,” she told him, rushing over to catch Nora before she got the lid off the cookie jar. “Wash your hands first, young lady,” she said, pointing her toward the bathroom.

But Catherine changed her mind and guided Nora over to Nathan, squatted between them, wrapped her arms around both children, and turned them toward the rocking chair.

“Calm down, you two, and see who’s come for a visit.”

Both children gasped, and Catherine hugged them tightly when they tried to rush forward. “Her name is Mary. She’s a snowy owl and Mr. MacBain’s pet. And see the pink thread on the bottom of her belly? She hurt herself, and she’s staying with us so she can get well. I don’t want you to touch her,” she continued. “Wounded animals are dangerous, and jumping and yelling will scare Mary, and she could hurt herself even more. And see her feet? Those are her talons, and she uses them to hunt for mice and rabbits and to defend herself. And her beak is strong, and she could peck you quite badly if you scare her.”

“She’s the prettiest bird I ever seen,” Nora whispered.

“She’s got really big eyes,” Nathan added, also whispering.

“And Mr. MacBain told me she likes children. But that doesn’t mean she wants you to touch her. Only go near Mary if Mr. MacBain is holding her and lets you come up and pat her. Understand?” she asked, giving them both a squeeze.

They both nodded, and Catherine stood up and pointed them toward the bathroom. “Go wash your hands, and I’ll give you a snack.”

Robbie came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “I want a snack, too. And what did Nathan want you to ask me?”

Catherine walked to the fridge, resisting the urge to lick her lips. She could still taste him.

Still feel his heat surrounding her.

“He wants your permission to move into the spare bedroom upstairs,” she said, grabbing the bowl of gelatin and taking it to the counter. She shot him a grin over her shoulder. “Our bed is a bit crowded, and Nathan complained that Nora is all elbows and knees. But I think it’s more that he wants to be one of the guys and move upstairs with them.”

“There are two twin beds in that room,” he said. “Does Nora want to move up, too?”

Catherine took down three bowls and started spooning out the gelatin. “She’s not ready to cut the apron strings.”

“We could set up a cot in your room, then, and at least get her out of your bed,” he suggested.

Catherine took him his bowl of dessert, set it down in front of him, and stuck a spoon in it. “That’s a good first step. Nathan is right, my daughter is all elbows and knees when she sleeps.”

The children came out of the bathroom, wiping their hands on their clothes, and sat at the table facing Mary. Catherine gave them their dessert.

“You got a really cool pet,” Nathan told Robbie. “Can she still fly, even though she’s hurt?”

“Aye. And as soon as you’re done eating, I’ll hold her so you can pet her. And after that, I’ll help you get settled in your new bedroom upstairs.”

“Oh, great!” Nathan said. “It’s right next to Cody’s room, isn’t it? He’s going to show me how to shoot the potato gun this weekend.” Nathan thought for a minute, then added,

“We’re going to shoot it at that big rock up in the pasture, so you don’t got to worry we’

ll hit anything important.”

“Aye. Rocks make good targets. And I think I’ll join you. It’s been a few years since I’ve shot a rock. Nora, would you like to move upstairs with your brother?” Robbie asked, giving the girl his attention.

Nora filled her mouth with gelatin and shook her head.

Catherine turned back to the counter to hide her smile. That was the longest conversation Nathan had had with a man in over three years. Well, heck, were they all settling in here or what?

She looked over at Mary and caught the bird staring at her. Then the owl lazily blinked one eye and emitted a low, humming chatter.

Chapter Seventeen

It was Friday afternoon,Mary was perched on the front porch railing watching Robbie give Catherine her lesson in stick fighting, and Catherine was trying to knock her sweet-kissing boss’s head off again.

But Robbie wasn’t letting himself get distracted today, and Catherine was only beating herself up. She’d lost her grip on the stick twice already, and once it had hit the ground and bounced back up and smacked her in the thigh. Then, not five minutes later, she’d tripped over her own feet and ended up with a mouthful of dead grass.

Not even trying to stifle his laughter, Robbie had picked her up and given her another lecture on physics.

But for the last twenty minutes, Catherine had noticed him checking his watch, and she even managed to catch the edge of his foot with her stick because he had glanced toward TarStone.

Darn it. He was going back up there! And he would come limping home tomorrow morning all beat up again.

“That’s enough for me,” she said, leaning against her stick and brushing her hair out of her face. “I feel as if I’ve run a marathon.”

Robbie straightened from his crouched position. “But it was just starting to get fun,” he said, breaking into a wide grin. “It’s not every day I get to watch someone beat themselves up.”

“Which is why we’re stopping,” she said, walking toward the house. “I’m not providing entertainment for you and your bird.”

Robbie fell into step beside her. “Mary wasn’t laughing at you. She was cheering you on.”