Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,14
It felt different than any kiss she’d ever experienced, though she couldn’t have said why.
For a few seconds, anyway, she forgot about everything else and just let herself enjoy the feeling. She gave herself over to the sensations.
He could have pressed his advantage, but he didn’t. He withdrew slowly. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
Later, as she drove to North Dallas to pick up Sam, she wondered exactly what she had promised. She couldn’t remember.
CHAPTER FOUR
IT WAS AFTER DARK by the time Kat and Samantha entered their apartment with two large bags of toys and clothes. Chuck had calmly loaded Kat’s car with all the personal belongings Samantha kept at his house—clothes, toys, hair ribbons and even a beanbag chair. She would need some familiar things around her, he’d explained.
Samantha dropped the lighter bag she carried and sniffed disapprovingly. “It smells funny.”
“It’s just cleaning stuff,” Kat said. “And look, look who’s here to greet you!” Bashira came trotting out of the bedroom and straight to Samantha, meowing plaintively. Ethan must have brought over the kitten while she was gone. Kat appreciated his thoughtfulness, especially when she herself had forgotten about the kitten.
Samantha and Bashira had been inseparable before the fire. But to Kat’s surprise, Samantha barely looked at the kitten and made no move to pet him or pick him up. She walked past him, through the combination living/dining room and into the bedroom. Then she turned back, her mouth set mulishly.
“Mommy, I don’t like this place.”
“It needs work,” Kat agreed in a light tone. “But we’ll get it fixed up. Anyway, it’s just temporary, until we can find some place that’s a little bigger.” She carried an armload of Samantha’s clothes toward the bedroom, then realized she had no coat hangers. Every time she turned around, she discovered something else she needed to buy.
“Is this my room?” Samantha asked, shadowing Kat.
“Yup. There’s a big pecan tree right outside your window.”
The child was unimpressed. “Where’s your room?”
“I’ll sleep in the other room.”
“I want you to sleep in here.”
“Hmm, it’s an awfully small bed for two people.”
“I don’t care.”
Kat ruffled Samantha’s wavy brown hair, so like her own. Looking at her daughter was sometimes like looking in a mirror from twenty years ago. “All right, I guess for the first night that’s okay. But you’ll like this place once you get used to it. In fact, there’s a little girl who lives right next door, who’s about your age. Well, a little older, but I bet she would play with you.”
A spark of interest flared in Samantha’s eyes. “What’s her name?”
“Her name’s Jasmine. I think she goes to your school.”
“Jasmine Veracruz?” Samantha was definitely interested.
“Yes, that’s her name. Do you know her?”
“She’s a third-grader.” Samantha said this as if being a third-grader was the most exalted position in the world.
“We’ll ask her over to play soon, okay?”
“Okay.” Samantha sat on the bed, bouncing slightly. “I wish I had my bunny quilt.”
Kat could see Sam was close to tears, and her own throat felt tight. She sat down next to Sam and put her arm around her. “It’s hard, losing all our stuff. But try to remember, Sam, that what we lost are just things. Things can be replaced. What’s important is that we’re both alive and we weren’t hurt. The firemen did a good job getting everybody out of the building.”
Sam said nothing.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea. At the grocery store today I bought brownie mix. Why don’t we try out our new oven and bake some brownies?”
Samantha brightened slightly. “Okay.”
“We can make two pans. And in the morning we can take one of them to the fire station, to thank the firefighters who rescued us.”
Kat was pleased that Samantha didn’t immediately oppose the idea. She did seem to be thinking it over, though. “Is that where they have the fire trucks?”
“Yes, and all the firefighters live there. They cook and eat and sleep in that house, like a family, just waiting for a fire to happen, so they can rush over as fast as they can and put it out.” At least, she thought that was how it worked. Frankly, she didn’t know much about firefighting. She would benefit from a tour of the station, too. “They’re very brave people, and I think it’s important that we show how much we appreciate what they do. Okay? Is it a plan?”
“Okay,” she said without much enthusiasm.
* * *
ETHAN HAD BEEN WATCHING his apartment—Kat’s apartment—off and on all evening and he was