Only Us

“Uh-huh. We rolled them out and then used cookie cutters and now they’re cooling and after dinner we’re decorating and Rina said you could help.” She paused to draw breath. “I can’t stand waiting, can you?”

“I’ll manage.”

His daughter released him, then ran around the truck to get his medical bag, something she’d been doing since she was big enough to drag it into the house. Now she carried it more easily. The time might even come when she couldn’t be bothered, preferring to spend her time with her friends. But that was for later. Right now, he was a blessed man.

Kaitlyn led the way into the house. The smell of freshly baked cookies mingled with the spice of marinara sauce. Noah, their sheltie, raced to greet him. A female—despite her name—Noah circled around his legs in an attempt to get closer and express her joy about yet another pack member returning.

“Hey, you,” he said, scooping up the dog.

Noah bathed his face in ecstatic kisses. When he lowered her to the ground, she ran off to get her ball.

Rina stepped out of the kitchen.

“Hi,” she said, her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Is Athena all right?”

He nodded. “She feels better than Heidi, who’s still feeling guilty about what happened. They should both be back to normal by the morning.”

Big blue eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled. Cooking had added color to her cheeks, making her look flushed. Her mouth was full and inviting and the way she moved…

Out of long habit, Cameron pushed away “those” kind of thoughts. Sure, Rina was beautiful and funny and great with his daughter. But while he liked her company and liked having her around, he wasn’t ready for a long-term relationship. He wasn’t going to let something as fleeting and confusing as romantic involvement with Rina get in the way of his daughter’s happiness.

He’d thought he loved his ex. She’d stunned him by leaving with no warning. But in the panicked few weeks that had followed her departure, in the reality of caring for a newborn while trying to keep his practice alive, he hadn’t had time to miss his wife. Or maybe he hadn’t loved her at all. Either way, by the time he’d resurfaced, his life slightly under control, he no longer regretted her leaving.

Lesson learned, he reminded himself. Friendship he could understand and trust. Rina was his friend. One of his best friends. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t change.

“I told Daddy he could help with the cookies,” Kaitlyn said, walking to the sink to wash her hands without being asked.

Rina grinned. “Did you? Do you think he’ll do a good job?”

“I have some creative skills,” Cameron told her, shrugging out of his jacket.

“Maybe you could audition,” Rina told him. “Do one and if we think it’s all right, you can do a second.”

His daughter burst out laughing. “She’s kidding, Daddy. You can decorate as many cookies as you want.”

“Thank you, baby girl.” He walked by Rina. “I’ll deal with you later,” he growled in a low voice.

She glanced at him, then looked away. But in the split second when her gaze locked with his, he would have sworn he saw something. A spark. No, bigger than a spark, because whatever it was hit him hard in the gut. It made him think about being alone with her in a dark, quiet room. Just the two of them and all the time in the world. It made him want to hold her in his arms and kiss her. And more.

He shook off the moment, telling himself it was just the season. Holidays were a time for belonging. While Kaitlyn was amazing, she was his kid, not his partner. Maybe it was time for him to start dating.

He went to the sink to wash his hands, then he and Kaitlyn set the table. When the oven timer went off, he removed the garlic bread and put it on a plate. The dance of preparing dinner was a familiar one, formed over the past year. Rina stirred the sauce, while he dumped the cooked spaghetti into a colander. She combined pasta and sauce, then brought the serving bowl to the table while he poured Kaitlyn’s milk and a glass of wine for Rina and for himself. Noah settled into her bed in the corner of the kitchen, a dog biscuit held delicately in her teeth.

“Maybe we could get our tree this weekend,” Kaitlyn said, her voice faintly pleading.

“It’s a little early,” Rina told her, passing the garlic bread. “There’s a new delivery coming in next Thursday. They’ll be fresh. I love that smell.”

“Me, too,” his daughter said. “You’re right. We should wait. If it’s fresh, we can keep it up through New Year’s.”

Conversation flowed around him. A discussion about whether or not there should be more decorations on the lawn. His daughter talking about practicing for the holiday pageant and how she would start taking dance classes in January. That meant next year she would appear in the Dance of the Winter King. There were also not-so-subtle hints about what she would like for Christmas and a recounted conversation in which Rina had threatened to paint a cat’s nails.

“How’s the adoption program coming?” he asked.

“Good. I’ve been putting pictures of the pets up online, so people get an idea of what’s available. The shelter has been getting lots of calls.” She wrinkled her nose. “There’s a family interested in the iguana, if you can believe it. Why anyone would want a four-foot-long lizard that can live twenty years is beyond me. But they have a special room prepared for it and everything.”

“Having the iguana adopted out will be a big savings,” he said.

“I know. Based on the calls we’re getting, we have a lot of good prospective owners interested in other animals, too. I’m hoping for a big turnout.”

“You’ve put a lot of work into the project.”

Rina smiled. “The animals shouldn’t be stuck in a shelter—not even the iguana. Everyone should have a home to be part of, especially over the holidays.”

When he’d bought the veterinary practice in Fool’s Gold, he’d wanted to find a welcoming community to raise his daughter. What he’d found was a place to call home. No one simply lived in the town. They became a part of whatever was going on.

“You’re not really going to try to paint the cats’ nails are you?” he asked.

“You’re going to have to wait and see what I do.”

They finished dinner and then sat around the table talking. It was close to seven-thirty when they got up to clear the dishes. While Kaitlyn helped Rina load the dishwasher, Cameron walked Noah. When he returned there were boxes of decorations scattered across the coffee table in the living room.

“Just a few more things,” Rina said, with a shrug. “We couldn’t resist.”

“Where am I supposed to store all this?” he asked. “I’ll have to add on a second house.”

That made Kaitlyn laugh. She spun in a circle, her long hair flowing out behind her, Noah chasing her. Dog and child collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Kaitlyn opened her eyes.

“Daddy, look!”

He followed the direction of her pointed finger and found a small sprig of artificial mistletoe pinned to the door frame.

Turning to Rina he explained, “She read about mistletoe when she was six. Now she wants me to put it up every year. It’s kind of a family joke.”

Only Rina wasn’t laughing and suddenly he wasn’t either. She was standing right under the tacky little plant—she probably hadn’t noticed it until his daughter had mentioned it just now. Emotions flashed through her eyes, emotions he couldn’t read. They were friends, he reminded himself. Good friends. Kissing would make things awkward between them and that was the last thing he wanted.

“Daddy, kiss her.”

It seemed easier to give in than to explain—at least that was what he told himself. He bent forward and lightly brushed Rina’s mouth with his own. There was a quick explosion of heat, then she drew back and sidestepped away.

“Now where are we putting those dancing snowmen?” she asked.

Rina had never been much of a believer in signs, but she was starting to rethink her position. Within a few hours of having a conversation with her friend Jesse about telling Cameron how she felt about him, he’d kissed her. Sure, it had been because of mistletoe and in front of his daughter and his dog. Hardly the hot, I’ve-been-desperately-in-love-with-you-for-months kiss she’d been hoping for, but still. It was a start.

After quietly leaving a sleepy Kaitlyn in her bed, Cameron and Carina returned to the living room. Before Cameron could offer her a drink or suggest a movie, Rina decided she had to make her move. Telling him how she felt wasn’t anything she could imagine doing, but showing him… He’d broken the physical barrier tonight, and she wasn’t going to stop the momentum now.

So when he looked at her and started to ask, “Do you want to—” she was ready.

She put her hands on his broad shoulders, raised herself on tiptoe and put her mouth on his.

For a second he didn’t react. There was only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall and Noah’s sigh as she settled back in her bed. Then slowly, his lips moved against hers.

Rina released the breath she’d been holding and allowed herself to relax. She tilted her head and leaned into him. His hands settled on her waist. But the best part was the sparks.

They were everywhere: floating around, dancing against her skin, swirling through her belly and heating the most interesting parts of her body. Loving Cameron meant wanting him. She’d been aware of the desire lurking inside her, but it was a need without substance. She hadn’t known if they had that magical chemistry that would add passion to friendship. Until now.

Now she longed for him even more than before. Her br**sts ached to be stroked by him. Her thighs trembled and hunger burned. When he brushed his tongue against her lower lip, she parted for him immediately. When he swept inside, she felt herself getting lost in the moment, in the burning need and the taste of him.

Strong hands pulled her closer. She melted against him, curves to his hard planes, female to his male. At last, she thought. They were both in exactly the right place.

Chapter Three

Cameron felt desire rising up inside him, threatening to overwhelm him. Reminding himself that his friendship with Rina was more important than any single night didn’t seem to be working. While some might say taking things to the next level made sense, he knew better. If he and Rina were friends, he would never lose her. To do more was to risk what they had and he couldn’t imagine his life, or his daughter’s, without her.

Carefully, he drew back. His resolve nearly crumbled when he saw the passion in her blue eyes and realized her mouth was swollen with his kisses. She was all lush curves and temptation. He could see her br**sts rising and falling with every breath and, for a second, he didn’t think he was strong enough to hold back. Then he reminded himself what was at stake and he managed to contain himself.

“Sorry about that,” he said lightly. “I guess I got carried away.”

He hoped that was enough. That she would accept the words and everything could go back to the way it was before. Wishful thinking, he realized when she spoke.

“I kissed you,” she told him.

He nodded.

“You kissed me back.”

Another nod.

“Cameron, I want more than what we have.”

She laid him bare with her words. But what would happen later, to him and his daughter, if she tired of them and walked away? That had been difficult enough for him to go through once. He couldn’t risk Kaitlyn, as well.

He drew in a breath. “I like what we have, Rina. We’re friends. Good friends. I don’t want that to change.”

The passion in her eyes bled away, replaced by despair. “Thanks but no thanks?” she asked, her voice low. Tears glistened before she looked down. “Let me guess. I’m not your type.”

“You are. It’s not that I don’t want you, I do. I just want our friendship more. If we started dating then everything would get complicated.”

“Dating?” Her voice rose. “Dating? Is that what you think this is about? I’m in love with you, you idiot. I’m here nearly every night, sharing dinner with you, laughing with you, talking about our days. I’m crazy about Kaitlyn. I’m doing everything I can to show you that I’m exactly who you need, who you should love and want and you think I’m interested in a date?”

He couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d taken out a baseball bat and hit him on the head. Love? He couldn’t begin to figure out what that meant.

Rina stepped back. In a matter of seconds, she was shrugging into her coat and had her purse in hand. And then she was gone. He was left standing in the middle of his living room, not sure what had happened, but knowing it was bad.

Noah raised her head and looked at him questioningly.

“I haven’t got a clue,” he told the dog. “Not a clue.”

Rina spent most of the weekend working with the holiday adoption committee. She was grateful to be running from meeting to meeting, helping write up descriptions and speaking with prospective owners. Being busy kept her from thinking and not thinking was much easier than feeling the burning emptiness. But come Monday morning, life would get much more complicated.

Her weekday started as they always did, with her going over to Cameron’s house to get Kaitlyn ready for school. She almost cancelled, but didn’t want to disappoint Kaitlyn. Shortly after Cameron and Kaitlyn had moved to town, Kaitlyn had put in an appearance in Rina’s grooming salon. She’d thought the girl was charming and Kaitlyn had asked to spend time there…which had led to the official sitting job from Cameron. But Rina rarely thought of it as a job. Kaitlyn had become so much more to her than her boss’s daughter.