After bringing Melanie’s car back up to the cabin, I needed to go and retrieve my snowmobile. It was blustery as I trudged the quarter mile back to where I’d left the sled. By the time I reached it, my face and hands were practically numb. I jumped on the sled and let out a breath when it started easily under me.

I rode back to the cabin thinking about how much things had changed in the past couple of days. I’d gone from being petrified to be stuck alone with the kids, to rescuing a beautiful woman whose mere presence made me more confident. I thought back to earlier when I’d come in and heard the kids giggling wildly down the hallway.

I loved that sound so much. I loved the way Liam’s high-pitched laughter filled the corners of the cabin. I loved the way Hadley clapped her hands whenever she giggled, encouraging Liam to keep going with whatever it was that made him so happy. It was a sound that had made me smile so many times in the past few months.

I promised myself that I would always make it a point to make those kids laugh and be happy.

I put the snowmobile in the shed and made my way to the cabin. As I stepped onto the porch, I saw them playing in the window. Melanie was tossing Hadley into the air and catching her while my niece donned the biggest smile I’d ever seen. Liam was twirling around on the coffee table about to take a tumble before Melanie reached her arm out, catching him and spinning him around with Hadley in her arms.

I walked into the cabin and tossed my coat and gloves in a pile by the fire. Liam came running to me and wrapped his arms around my leg. I picked him up and held him close to me as Melanie approached my side, then I scooped Hadley into my arms as well and held them both close.

“Mew’s funny,” Liam said.

“She is, is she?” I asked.

“We jumped and played cars!” Liam exclaimed.

“Sounds like you had fun,” I said.

Hadley answered me with a resounding spit bubble.

Melanie threw her head back and laughed, and I allowed the sound to cascade over my body. I put Liam back down on the floor and Hadley back in her playpen. I turned to the kitchen to make some coffee to warm myself but saw that Melanie had beat me to it.

I stepped up next to her and she handed me a steaming cup. As I took it from her, my fingers brushed hers and a jolt of electricity shot through my entire system. The flush that crept up her neck and settled in her cheeks nearly undid me where I stood.

I knew she had felt what I had. Her eyes lingered on me a little longer than they should have, and everything within me wanted to kiss her. I wanted to draw her petite body into my arms and press her flush against my chest. I wanted to cup her cheek and smooth my thumb over the rosy tint of her skin. I wanted to pull her lips up to mine and cradle her in my arms, warming her from the inside out before I dove into the depths of her body.

Liam’s voice from behind me brought me back to my senses and I cleared my throat as I stepped away from Melanie.

“Thanks for making the coffee,” I said.

“No problem. It’s the least I could do with everything you’ve done for me,” she responded.

I wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to thank me. I wanted to tell her that I thought she was saving me as much as I had saved her, but the words stuck in my throat. “I’m going to go jump in the shower to warm up a bit more,” I said, as I started down the hallway.

She nodded and went back to the living room to sit with the kids.

I stepped into the shower and heaved a sigh. Having Melanie here was sweet torture. I could tell that she was warming to me, but there was also something still holding her back. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her that she had built up such a wall.

Not that I could really say anything about that. After Elise had left me, I was determined that I’d never let myself fall in love again. I’d screwed my way through the pain, but I knew that Melanie was not someone I could do that with. There was a vulnerability to her that made me want to protect her. There was also an unassuming sexiness about her that made me want to fuck her senseless.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower before I could let my mind wander any further down that road. I dried off and quickly dressed in my room.

A burst of laughter hit my ears as I opened the door and headed down the hallway. When I got to the living room, I found Melanie and Liam both red-faced and giggling on the couch.

“That’s what you get for trying to tickle me!” Melanie exclaimed.

“No! Mew! Tickles!” Liam said.

“Tickle monster!” Melanie said, laughing.

I smiled at the sight just before everyone turned their heads toward me. Liam scrambled out from underneath Melanie’s hands before he ran to me, his panting body clinging to my leg. Hadley was clapping and cheering everyone on as drooled spilled down her chin, and I watched as Melanie reached over to clean her up with the sleeve of her sweater before she turned toward me.

Even the kids gravitated toward her.